Summer Skeletons
by LucyLuna
Summary: They rode their brooms together all the time. Aside from the occasional near run-in with the Whomping Willow, they had always been okay. That changed one irrecoverable spring day and, suddenly, Darla Snape's summer was put on a course she would never have predicted. AU. Part VIII of Family Branches. Complete.
1. The End

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

Darla had wanted to go for a flight alone to clear her head. She and Stephen had just gotten in the worst row in their entire friendship, and all over his jealous, immature girlfriend. She still didn't understand why her supposed best friend had believed Tamsin Applebee when she said Darla purposefully spilled pumpkin juice all over his Muggle studies essay. In what world would Darla do such a thing? She'd never ruined anything of his or anyone else's on purpose before! It had been an accident that happened when she was trying to sit down next to him at the Hufflepuff table to discuss the charms project they were doing together…

Unfortunately, while on her way to go and retrieve her broom from her room in Severus's quarters, she ran into Lottie. Stubborn, can-never-take-no-for-an-answer Lottie. She begged to ride along with Darla and when she told the ten-year-old not on her life, she'd pouted at Darla before she went and got her own broom to ride. On her way to the Quidditch pitch, Lottie had dogged Darla's every step.

When she straddled her broom and kicked off, Darla had sighed with exasperation when Lottie appeared beside her, chattering cheerfully about how nice a day it was to go for a ride on her new birthday broom. Leaning forward, Darla picked up her pace and begun to zip off in the direction of Black Lake, hoping to lose the younger girl as she went. Unfortunately, her niece's obstinance showed itself once again and when Darla looked over her shoulder, she saw the girl was just a broom-span behind her.

Determined to get away from Lottie, Darla went even faster. Lottie kept up admirably. She started to add in zags and zigs and loops and sharp turns. Still, the ten-year-old managed to stay on her tail. The longer it went on, however, the less annoying it was and more fun it became. Soon, the two of them were laughing and hollering at one another as they showed off tricks and maneuvers they knew. Darla almost couldn't remember why she'd wanted to go for a ride alone anymore. After all, this was her and Lottie's _thing_. Out of all the girls, they were the only two who enjoyed broom-riding in their free-time.

"Watch this!" Lottie cried, starting on yet another barrel-roll.

And watch Darla did, with a wide grin at first, but, then, her niece failed to tuck her shoulder just so and Lottie's roll became out of her control. Then, the ten-year-old's broom began to buck and, suddenly, Lottie was _falling_.

Her vision tunneled in on her niece's descending form. "Lottie!" she screamed, speeding in the direction of the younger girl. When above the terror-stricken face of Lottie, Darla began to dive down, hand outstretched to grab her niece. "Reach for me!" she yelled at the girl. Lottie started to, but just as Darla's fingers were going to take hold of Lottie's she saw the ground wasn't even a yard away from the tip of her broom. Instinct honed from years of riding had Darla jerk her broom back into the air.

As she soared up, she saw Lottie hit the ground.

-o-O-o-

The day was fittingly overcast when they buried Lottie. Darla even felt she was in one of the gray clouds hanging above as the priest spoke and Edie and the remaining girls wept. All that felt true and present was the hand of her brother resting solidly on her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she stared at Severus. His face was a parlor-white hue and frightfully somber. Of course, he usually wore a stern expression due to his being a professor of the subtle (and dangerous) art of potions, but this one was real instead of just a mask like the ones worn by an actor in a play.

He appeared to notice her watching, as his own gaze, full of pain that mirrored her own, flickered to meet hers and his hand curled around her shoulder briefly, squeezing it. It was awful, selfish, and entirely inappropriate but she was glad. Darla was often sneaking peaks at her brother these days, searching to see if any of that burning, questioning, _accusatory_ light from when Madam Pomfrey first told him of Lottie's death would return to his gaze when looking at her. So far, it hadn't. It was as selfish as the pleasure she'd just felt, but Darla hoped it stayed that way.

Looking forward once more as the priest began to come to a close on his prayers, she reflected on what her brother had told her the day following Lottie's death:

 _Darla couldn't breathe anymore and all that was left of her tears was a salty, sticky mess coating her cheeks. Staring up at her ceiling she tortured herself by straining her ears to hear the quiet whimpers of the younger girls in the room over with Edie. She'd brought this pain upon her nieces and she didn't deserve to hide her head beneath her pillow to block out the sound._

 _A sharp knock at her door alerted her to company. Darla lifted her head and called, voice akin to a toad's croak, "Yeah?"_

 _The door opened and in slipped her brother. He stared at her with his own red eyes and she felt the urge to hide. She'd made her brother cry. She'd killed one of his_ babies _. He frowned after a moment, head tilted in the direction of the wall separating Darla from Edie and the younger girls. Going over to it, he waved his wand, and suddenly, the room fell utterly silent._

 _"You didn't have to do that, you know," she told Severus. "I deserve it. I should have to listen to the pain I am causing them."_

 _He sat down on her bed and put one of his hands on her knee. "No," he rumbled, "you shouldn't."_

 _Darla frowned, not understanding. Why not? Was she finally going to be punished properly rather than told it was all just a horrid accident?_

 _Her brother sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Darla, Lottie_ — _It wasn't your fault_ — _"_

 _"_ — _It was so! I wasn't fast enough to catch her!" she decried, tucking her knees beneath her and away from Severus's reach._

 _He was quiet for a time and she wondered if the honest to Merlin truth was sinking in for him and he was going to turn on her and make her pay for what she did_ —

 _"Do you know it was I who told the prophecy of Harry Potter to the Dark Lord?"_

 _She gaped at him. "What?" she whispered. Everyone knew Harry Potter's story and Severus's version was more accurate than anyone's, but she'd always thought it had to do with him being a spy and a keener sense for what was and wasn't bullshit. Darla had never imagined it was because Severus passed on the prophecy to the Dark Lord himself…_

 _He nodded, shoulders falling limp and defeated as he stared far into the past. "Me. It was me. I'm the one who told him of it and then he_ — _Then he killed Harry's parents." Severus turned his head and made her meet his gaze. "Is it my fault the Potters died and Harry was made an orphan?"_

 _"Of course not!" Darla declared vehemently. How could Severus have known the Lord would take it so seriously? Or that he would insist on killing Harry Potter's parents to get to him? There was no way! "You didn't know he would go so far to try and beat the prophecy."_

 _Severus nodded. "I know that," he told her. "Here, anyhow," he amended, tapping on his head. "But here…" Severus moved his hand to rest over his heart. "Here I think it is I who caused their deaths. If I had never told him of the prophecy or done a better job of foiling the Lord's plans, perhaps Lily and James Potter would still be alive and Harry would live in Godric's Hollow with them." He chuckled. "Lottie and Harry would have been the best of friends, I reckon. She was brave and daring as any Gryffindor and I have no doubt that Harry is just as much a lion as his parents before him."_

 _Darla's throat closed up and tears she didn't know she still had began to itch behind her already sore eyes._

 _Severus took her face in his two potion-stained hands and stared into her eyes. "You had no way of predicting Lottie would mess up on her barrel-roll or that her broom would pick then to misbehave."_

 _"I almost had her!" Darla babbled, "if I hadn't flown up_ — _"_

 _He moved one of his hands to cover her mouth. Firmly, Severus told her, "No. I am glad your training kicked in and that you did. Otherwise, I fear I wouldn't have just lost a daughter yesterday, but a sister too." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm not sure I would have survived the news."_

 _Darla fell into her brother's chest and began to cry anew. While she sobbed, he held and rocked her as if she was a little girl again. Clinging tighter, Darla felt so very thankful to have Severus. To have someone who not only didn't blame her, but_ understood.

Even now Darla was inordinately grateful for Severus and the knowledge he didn't blame her for Lottie's death. It was a relief, no matter how small, to know he would stand by her in the coming years and fight anyone who tried to lay the fault of her niece's death on her shoulders. She glanced behind herself at Edie and the younger girls. They'd said little to her these past days and while Severus assured Darla not one of them blamed her either, she didn't quite know if she believed her brother.

Darla was drawn to look forward once more when the priest closed his Bible and announced it was time for them to step forward. Following his direction, Darla moved forward, Severus by her side, and dropped the lily in her hand into the grave holding Lottie's casket. Severus followed suit and together, they then stepped aside and watched as Edie and her nieces repeated the process, followed by Severus's colleagues and Edie's friends, then by Darla's mates and classmates.

Soon, Lottie's casket was hidden by a sea of white lilies. 'She would have liked that,' thought Darla, though, the observation brought her no comfort; only a new ache to her already suffering heart.

* * *

 **Thoughts on the first chapter of this second multi-chap installment? It's going to focus quite heavily on Darla and has quite a bit of Harry in it too as well as Severus and the rest of the Snapes, of course.**

 **Thanks a million for reading :)**


	2. The Beginning

_Summer Skeleton_

* * *

 _From the window of one of Hogwarts's towers, Darla looked down on a pair of dark heads. Even from the distance she was at she could see one had shorter hair than the other. She suspected one to be a boy and the other a girl. Darla blinked and, suddenly, the pair on the ground had brooms and were mounting them. Her mouth went dry at the sight. Brooms and riding terrified her these days, unsurprisingly. Even if she ever managed to be able to ride a broom again without puking Darla didn't believe she would ever enjoy flying again._

 _The two were quickly rising and as they came to the height of her window, Darla noted she was correct; one was a boy and the other a girl. But they were not just any boy and girl. One was her dear Lottie, blue eyes so vivid and_ alive _and the other_ — _W_ _hy, that was Harry Potter! She could just see that lighting bolt scar everyone always spoke of peaking out from behind his fringe._

 _Lottie and Harry waved at her with big happy smiles and then began to start flying around. At first, she was just uneasy. But then the two began to do tricks and routines and Darla's vision narrowed in on her little niece. Each of Lottie's tricks was becoming more elaborate by every swish of her broom, Darla tried to scream at her to stop, to come to her, but her voice would not work._

 _She began to look around the tower for a broom and even though there had not been one in her hand before, there now was. Jumping on it, she rushed out the window and toward Lottie and Harry. As she sped toward them she saw Lottie fail to finish her loop as she should and, suddenly, she was_ falling. _Darla stretched out her whole body to try and catch the girl, but her fingers just barely brushed over the fabric of her robe as she fell past. In slow motion she watched her niece collide with the ground and the light of life leave her eyes._

 _A blink of her eyes later, she and Harry were in the tower. He was glaring at her, his eyes a killing curse green. "We could have been best friends," he spat at her. "Now we never will be and it's all your fault!"_

 _Darla started to sob. "I'm sorry!"_

"—la? Darla!"

She opened her eyes. Above her was Calliope. Her youngest niece. Her five-year-old niece who would someday only be able to recollect hazy images of Lottie's crooked smile. Darla's eyes stung.

"What are you doing in my bed?" she asked as she tried to push away the awful thought.

Calliope rubbed one of her eyes with a pale fist. "Essie an' Eileen were already in Sev an' Edie's bed with 'em. So I came to sleep with you instead."

Darla pulled the five-year-old to lay back down beside her. She pressed a kiss to the top of her wheat-blonde head. "Sorry I woke you then."

The girl yawned. "It's okay. You were havin' a nightmare an' you can't help those."

"Thanks," whispered Darla, cuddling Calliope close as the girl drifted off to sleep. As for her, she stared up at her ceiling and watched as it slowly turned from black to blue to purple to pink to orange and then to yellow. At that point, she pulled herself out from under her niece and got up to start the first day of her summer break.

(She already knew it would be a poor one).

-o-O-o-

After almost a week of reoccurring nightmares, Darla asked Severus where Harry Potter lived. She knew he knew. He'd had a part in placing him with his new family. It was a cloudy memory these days, but she remembered Edie consoling him after the death of Harry's mother and helping him sort out how to proceed. She recalled he was especially upset about Headmaster Dumbledore wanting to place Harry with someone called "Tunia" (or was it "Tooney"?). In the end, Harry had not gone to that person, but someone her brother scoped out instead.

Darla didn't know what she was going to do with this information if her brother told her, maybe write it down in her diary with all the other real facts she knew about Harry. Perhaps if she had the truths on hand and rattling around in her mind her brain would stop trying to make up terrible stories about Harry Potter and Lottie to tell her as she slept. She was getting sick of them and just wanted one damn night of peace.

Her brother looked over his paper at her, eyebrow quirked in question. Darla stared back blanky and tried to give a guileless impression. Finally, he sighed and said, "He lives in Sudley with his second-cousin and his family. It's actually just an hour south of Cokeworth; where I grew up and you lived before Mum and Dad died."

"Huh," she replied. "It is a small world, isn't it?"

He snorted. "Unfortunately."

Kicking her feet beneath the kitchen table, Darla was quiet a time as she let this new fact sink in. The more it did, the sadder she felt. Harry was more real than he'd been a moment before. He lived in a Muggle town not far from the one she was born in and he had a family like she did. Her dreams were right. She'd taken away a potential friend from him (who was Darla kidding? They would have been the best of mates. Lottie would have stood for no less once she laid eyes on him. Her favorite bedtime story had always been the one of how itty bitty baby Harry helped to vanquish the Dark Lord. As for Harry, he would have been charmed by her obstinate and vivacious nature— As so many were).

She would have to apologize to Harry. He was going to be coming into a world even more imperfect than it already was because of Darla. If she had caught Lottie, Harry would have her to stand by him as a solid, brave friend. Now, he would not and there was no guarantee there was another witch or wizard to fill the gap. Guilt gnawing on her heart, an idea began to piece itself together in the back of her mind. What if she took up the role herself? Darla knew she was ill-suited, but perhaps if she got an early start on things she could shape herself into whatever Harry needed.

She frowned to herself. But how would she go about becoming his friend before Hogwarts if he was not due for the wizarding world until early August after he got his letter? Even if Severus was the one to meet him and take him to Diagon Alley, there would be too many distractions and people to appropriately bond with Harry there if she were to accompany her brother. Slowly, it dawned on Darla. She knew the town he lived in. She could go there and find him. It wouldn't be too hard, she imagined, if she looked. Harry had that lightning bolt scar and she already sort of knew what he looked like thanks to that Christmas card Severus had from Harry's first parents. Sure, he was just a baby in that photo, but she thought with a little squinting and head-tilting she'd be able to tell if it was Harry or not when she met him.

If Darla went to Sudley and found Harry, she could introduce herself and befriend him before his trip to Diagon Alley. Oh, Severus would be furious when he found out. Perhaps Headmaster Dumbledore too, since he was supposed to grow up utterly untouched by the magical world before his letter, but she thought if she explained everything when it came time, they could forgive her.

Harry needed a good friend by his side— Like the one Lottie would have been to him. A decision reached, she nodded to herself and decided she would go there today to start looking. But first–

"What was the name of his cousin's family again? I know you mentioned it before… Crawford? No, that wasn't it. Cra… Cra… _something_."

Darla's brother was frowning at her, but answered all the same. "It's Cross." He put down his paper and steepled his hand next to his tea. "Is there a reason for this sudden interest in Harry, Darla?"

She shook her head. Pursing her lips, Darla worked double-time on a story for her brother. One he might believe. "Not especially," she answered. "I've just been trying to… look ahead, instead of focusing on now. When I do, it makes me want to wallow. I realized in another month or so he'll be getting his letter, is all."

Severus nodded, eyes sad and understanding (oh, how angry was he going to be with her when she found out what a lying little rat she was? Terribly so. She hoped when it did the favor he held for her would protect her). "I understand. In times like these, finding something else to focus on is key to helping the worst of the pain pass."

Darla hummed a moment. "Yes, I've started to realize that. On that note, I was wondering if I could visit Mr. and Mrs. Mulpepper today?"

As he picked his paper back up, her brother agreed, "Be home by curfew."

Smiling, she got to her feet and went around the table to press a thankful kiss to Severus's cheek. "I will."

* * *

 **Thoughts on this chapter guys?**

 **Thanks a ton for reading everybody!**


	3. Following Bread Crumbs

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

Teacup and saucer balanced on her knee, Darla listened with half an ear as Mrs. Mulpepper tittered on about her latest great-great grand nephew who'd been born just the week before. Making the appropriate noises when the old woman showed her a picture of the little bruiser, she said, "My, isn't he a big fellow?"

"Yes, he is. Dahlia said he's eleven pounds, bigger than either of his older brothers."

Darla winced. "Ouch."

The old woman set the picture aside and patted her arm. "Don't you worry, sweetheart," she said. "Firsts are rarely so big, in fact, they're often the smallest of the bunch!"

From his armchair, Mr. Mulpepper remarked, "You know, she might not even have a wee one, Maisie. With a head like hers, she just might decide to do something else with her life. I, for one, think she'd make a smashing owner of the apothecaries."

As his wife tutted and said something to the effect of most women like to have at least one, Mr. Mulpepper winked at Darla. She grinned back. For the past couple of years, he'd been making such comments to her. Mr. Mulpepper wasn't getting any younger and she knew he was looking for someone to take over. She'd heard him talk to Severus a time or two when she was little. While her brother really didn't seem to like being a professor (if the many evenings he'd spent griping to Edie were any indication), he also appeared uninterested in pursuing another career path. Since Mr. Mulpepper had realized he wasn't getting anywhere with Severus, he'd begun to try and plant the idea that she might enjoy running the business in her head.

While Darla was flattered and did sometimes think it would make for a nice, comfortable living, she wasn't so sure she wanted to be something so ordinary. Over winter hols she'd run into her old friend David Chopra in Diagon Alley while shopping for a new pair of boots and he took her out to lunch. He was currently training to be a Healer after several years of caring for his terminally ill mother and Darla thought from his description it sounded like a very interesting profession. When Madam Pomfrey returned from visiting her family for the summer, Darla had every intention of asking her about how one would go about becoming a healer and if the nurse knew anyone she could talk to about answering all of her questions.

If that went well, she'd have to gently let Mr. Mulpepper down and say that she didn't think taking over his business was for her. When and if Darla did, however, she did plan to suggest he set his sights on Essie. From when she was very young, Essie could watch Severus brew for hours and would make pretend potions herself with a mixing bowl and stick out on Hogwarts grounds with lake water and bits of sand, grass, and leaves.

In the last year since Severus started allowing Essie to help with his actual brewing, she'd begun to show she not only liked it, but had a knack for it too. Sometimes, Essie even managed to shock Darla with how much she knew about brewing and its components. She was sure to excel in the subject when she started as a student of Hogwarts in a couple of years. Darla had a strong feeling if Mr. Mulpepper offered her the shops her niece would take over with great joy and exuberance once she was old enough.

Checking the clock hung above the lounge room's mantle beside some family photos of the Mulpeppers and of the Mulpeppers and her own family, she saw it was time she go if she really did want to get to Sudley today and be back in time for her curfew. Bringing her cup of tea to her lips, she gulped down the luke-warm drink and then put it down on the tray sitting on the table. Smiling at the old couple who were the nearest things she had to grandparents, Darla said, "It has been a lovely visit. Thank you for entertaining me, Mr. and Mrs. Mulpepper. But I really have to be going now. I promised to meet Stephen in half an hour to go and swim in the lake with him, his brother, and cousin."

"Of course, sweetheart," Mrs. Mulpepper replied. "Thank you for stopping by! It's always a delight to see you girls."

Getting up, she exchanged a kiss with the old woman and a hug with Mr. Mulpepper. With one last wave, she left the couple and head in the direction of Diagon Alley's floo network with a feeling of satisfaction. Perhaps she was about to do something she knew she wasn't supposed to, but at least she hadn't lied to Severus. She did see the Mulpeppers, and, now, she was going to find Harry Potter.

-o-O-o-

Strolling around Sudley, Darla took in the town with interest. It was a nice looking place. Some of the shops appeared to be quite new and the people walking in and out of businesses were dressed rather smartly for the most part. She tried to picture what growing up here was like. Pleasant, she reckoned. Maybe even idyllic. From what she was seeing, she imagined Harry would be a fairly happy boy, origins besides, whenever she met him. Smiling at the thought, she started to look for places around her she might find Harry in. At nearly eleven, she imagined he was given quite a lot of freedom. She had been, anyhow. Severus used to let her wander Hogsmeade at her leisure starting around ten as long as she made sure to show up for meals on time.

While Darla couldn't be certain Muggles were so relaxed, she thought they might be. Severus talked about how Mum and Dad let him run wild around Cokeworth— which wasn't the best place to live in the first place. Harry's first Mum was allowed to do the same, she was sure, or how else would Severus and her have met at the park when he was ten? She knew that was over twenty years ago now, but did things like that really change so quickly with Muggles?

Spotting a bookstore, she walked up to the window and peered in. Half hidden by a shelf of books was a gaggle of children no older than Calliope all sitting on the ground staring up at something she couldn't see blocked by the shelf. Perhaps a store employee was reading them a book? It made the most sense. She didn't suppose Harry would be in there right now. He's too old to want to sit down for a story like that.

Moving on from the bookstore, Darla looked for the next possible place Harry may be if he were out and about today. After walking a little way down the block she sees a corner shop. Those have candy and trading cards eleven-year-olds like, don't they? Crossing the street after making sure none of those Muggle automobiles were coming, she paused in front of the shop. She liked the display window. It had summer adverts for babysitting services, nearby tourist traps, and football clubs taped to the glass and colorful signs indicating a sale on baby food and eyedrops. The stillness of all the text was odd and very different from the magical ones she knew that used scroll text and eye-catching graphics. She liked how bright they were, Darla assumed that was how they tried to grab the attention of passing Muggles since they couldn't make words or pictures move.

Once satisfied she'd taken it all in, she stepped over to the door and walked in. Above her, a bell rang and the dead-eyed young man behind the store's counter looked at her. He must have deemed her worth the energy needed to communicate, because he smiled and said, "Hello."

She nodded back at him. "Good afternoon," she replied before turning her attention to the shop's floor. Looking around, it didn't take her long at all to spy the candy aisle. Briskly making her way over, she grinned when she saw a pair of boys about twelve or so. One was short and chubby with an awful, choppy haircut and the other was middle height and middleweight covered from head to toe in freckles. Poor lad. They were hunched close together very obviously deliberating what to get with their pooled funds.

Keeping her face pleasant, Darla strolled over and plucked something called Smarties off the shelf beside the freckled boy's head. She'd been told to not go with strangers who offered her candies or toys growing up, but hopefully, if she didn't try and take Harry anywhere when she found him, he would accept the offering and let her get to know him.

After pulling a bag of gummy candies off a peg in front of the two kids, she cleared her throat and asked, "Excuse me, may I ask you a question?"

They looked at her with mild curiosity. "Sure," the pudgy one replied.

"I'm not really from Sudley," she explained, "And I'm looking for the Cross family. I know they have a son about your age, Harry P– Cross. Do you know where they live or I might be able to find them?"

The two exchange a look. Not a good one, either. Darla fretted perhaps she'd said something wrong. Had they moved? Or did Harry go by his original name? Finally, they seemed to decide to answer as the pudgy one said, "They live over on Heath Lane. It's about two streets down, one left, and another right just past the park. Their house has some white rose bushes by the door."

She smiled with relief. "Thank you."

"You should be careful," the freckle-faced one warned. "Their girl is okay from what my baby brother says, but Harry's… strange."

Darla furrowed her brows. "Strange?"

"Yeah! Stuff happens around him. Things move and appear, once, after an older kid pushed him in year three the upper year broke out in hives!"

She clucked her tongue. "Oh dear," she whispered.

The pudgy boy nodded sympathetically. "Everyone knows not to get to close to him," he tells her. "Not after what happened to Lauren Clarke when she took his lunch a year ago."

"What happened to Lauren Clarke?" Darla asked in alarm.

Eyes huge with memory, the freckle-faced boy whispered, "Spiders came out of his lunch box and ran up her arms and all over her. She fell while trying to get them off her and broke her arm."

"No one knows how he got all those spiders in there. Or when!" the other boy continued, shaking his head. "Some of the older kids think he's possessed."

Darla pressed her lips into a firm line. "That will not do," she said. She hoped Harry's new parents had explained to Harry that he wasn't possessed and nothing was wrong with him other than having strong magic (some of those incidents sounded quite spectacular). But what if they hadn't? What if they weren't allowed (though, she hoped that wasn't the case. As that would be horribly stupid)? She needed to see him right now and see how everyone being scared of him affected things. She hoped he wasn't too crippled self-esteem-wise. Perhaps she could fix some of it if she told him about Hogwarts and some of her own accidental magic from when she was little. A bit of it had been quite awful. "Thank you for helping me," she told the boys. "I must be going now."

"Are you still going to see the Crosses?"

She nodded. "I have to."

The pudgy one gave her a look of sympathy. "You're their new minder, aren't they? Just to warn you, you should probably start looking for a new job. Most minders can't handle more than a week or two of him I've heard my mum say."

"I'm sure I'll be just fine," Darla assured with a smirk before walking toward the counter to pay for her sweets.

* * *

 **Well, do you guys have any predictions about how meeting Harry will go?**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. Meeting Harry

_Summer Skeleton_

* * *

Upon reaching the Cross family's home, Darla stared at it a moment. It was quite pretty, she thought, with all its red brick and the white rose bushes lining the front of the house. Recalling the words of the boys from the corner shop, she tried to see if there was anything that hinted at the strife part (possibly all) of its household was going through. All she found was the paint around the window trims was peeling a little and the house's drive had chalk drawings done on it by two obviously different people. The bottom of the drive held a plethora of clumsy looking flowers and butterflies while the top half of it was filled with detailed drawings of some sort of rocket contraption, stars, lions, and… Were those centaurs? Perhaps Harry's adoptive family had told him something about magic after all.

Slightly mollified by the sight, Darla walked up the footpath to the front door and knocked on it. No one answered immediately and after a minute of anxiously swaying on her feet, she raised her hand to knock again when the door swung open.

A tall woman with a bob opened the door. She looked Darla over once, a dimple beginning between her brows as she did so. "Are you the new minder?" she asked.

She smiled. "Yes."

"You look a bit young, are you really eighteen?" she asked.

Darla widened her smile and put out her hand for the woman, who she now assumed to be Harry's mother. Putting an apologetic inflection into her tone, she lied, "I have to confess. I'm not quite eighteen. My birthday isn't for another week. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cross."

The woman snorted, but the dimple between her brows had smoothed away and she even gave Darla a brief smile with teeth. "Ah, well, I guess that's alright then," replied she while shaking hands with Darla. "Also, it's Mrs. Hershel. Mrs. Cross is my sister. I'm actually off to pick her up from her appointment."

She wondered if the actual babysitter knew what was wrong with Mrs. Cross. Probably, Darla reckoned. That seemed like something someone would be told ahead of time. Making a sympathetic clucking noise, she decided to ask, "How is Mrs. Cross doing? Better I hope?"

Mrs. Hershel sighed. "As well as can be expected, the doctors say. I've been telling her and Raymond they should start getting their ducks in a row in case the treatments don't go well, but…" She shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. I have a habit of letting my mouth run off with me. Mrs. Cross is fine right now." Stepping aside, she gestured for Darla to come in.

Pleased, Darla walked in and took in the home with the same interest a reporter would show a celebrity house viewing. It was a little messy, an ironing board was in front of the telly-vision and there was laundry still in a basket waiting beside it to be ironed. Shoes cluttered the space by the stairs and the windows looked a little grimy, but, otherwise, it seemed quite homey. Family pictures of smiling adults and children hung on the wall across from Darla, A half-dozen colorful toy ponies were positioned in various activities on a desk in one corner of the room and on the sofa was a small stack of books with some odd plastic box sitting atop it. She couldn't exactly tell from her place by the door, but she thought the box had a few buttons.

Darla reasoned it was probably a toy, though, what it did confounded her. Perhaps Harry would show her. She had a strong feeling it belonged to him and not this mysterious little sister she'd yet to meet.

Closing the door behind them, Mrs. Hershel said, "Harry and Gail are in the dining room having some tea and playing checkers. I'd introduce you, but I really have to be getting my sister. You'll be fine, won't you, um… I'm sorry, dear, I'm afraid I forgot your name."

"That's quite alright," replied Darla. "It's Dar–cy," she fibbed. Who knew if these people had been told about her by Severus once upon a time? She could definitely see him mentioning her. Also, if Harry didn't know her real name, on the off chance he brought her up when Severus came to deliver his Hogwarts letter, it would help to obscure things a little longer.

Mrs. Cross's sister smiled. "Well, Darcy, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Hershel," she echoed politely.

Grabbing her purse from the coat tree next to the door, Mrs. Hershel turned to leave, but paused with her hand placed on the knob. Looking over her shoulder, she sighed. Eyes tired and worried, she warned Darla, "Sometimes… Odd… events happen around here. It can be scary, but I promise it's all more or less harmless."

Darla quirked her brows into something she hoped looked quizzical. "Ah, okay," she replied. "I'll keep that in mind."

Mrs. Hershel relaxed when she saw this didn't scare her. "I hope you and the children have a good afternoon. I'll be home with Mrs. Cross and some dinner about five, alright?"

"Yes, okay. Thank you!"

A moment later, the woman was gone. Taking a deep breath, Darla stole herself and went to meet Harry and his sister.

-O-

Darla paused in the kitchen's doorway to take in Harry and his little sister. The two had their backs to her and were sharing a plate of carrots and broccoli as they took turns moving their checker pieces across the game board. While she couldn't see Gail's face, the tan hue of her hand and her black hair told Darla quite a bit. Obviously, the girl was adopted like Harry. She wouldn't know until the little girl (who looked to be about the same size as Essie) turned around, but she thought she was probably Asian.

Putting on a smile, she cleared her throat. The two's head swiveled around to look at her. As she expected, Gail was very obviously Asian with her almond-shaped eyes and mahogany-brown irises. While she couldn't see Harry's scar behind his fringe, she could see the baby she knew from her brother's pictures in him. Darla relaxed. She'd found him. This was Harry. "'Lo there," she said to them. "I'm Darcy, your new nanny."

Gail smiled. "Hi! I'm Gail."

Walking over, she offered her hand to the little girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Harry's sister giggled as she shook her hand, evidently quite pleased to be treated so grown up by her.

"And you must be her brother, Harry," Darla said as she offered her hand to Harry next.

The boy didn't take it, instead, he scrutinized her behind his thick glasses. "You're not from Sudley, are you?"

"No," she answered easily as she let her hand drop. If he didn't want to shake that was fine. He was obviously sizing her up (she was more than used to it after four years in Slytherin) and she couldn't even blame the poor pet. After who knew how many minders he and his sister had gone through in addition to being a pariah of his school, she had a feeling he made a point of being aloof to try and save himself some heartache. Which, if Darla looked at things objectively, probably didn't help Harry or anyone. His indifference was probably just another reason people used to justify leaving or to staying away from him. "I was born in Cokeworth, actually. It's about an hour north of here. Do you know it?"

Harry nodded slightly. "That's where Dad says my first Mum grew up."

She broadened her smile into a grin. "Isn't that interesting! It's quite the small world, isn't it?"

"I don't know where I was born, but Mummy and Dad said I was found outside of a hospital in Shenzhen China!" Gail added in brightly.

Darla gasped. It wasn't entirely an act either. That was quite the shocking fact to be throwing around so flippantly. She wondered what in Merlin's name her birth parents had been thinking to just abandon her outside of a place — even a hospital. What if no one had cared to check on her? Gail could be dead instead of here in this nice home in England. "Merlin!" she exclaimed.

Gail giggled. "That's a funny thing to say."

"Do you like King Arthur mythology?" Harry inquired at the same time.

Darla fought down a blush. She was going to have to watch her words a little more carefully. "It's something my nieces and I like to say," she lied. "And yes, I suppose I do." More than she did stories from the blasted Goblin Wars Binns liked to drone on about in history of magic.

"I like King Arthur stories too. Lancelot is my favorite knight to read about," Harry offered shyly.

She nodded. "I always liked Morgan le Fay myself. I know, I know, she was dark and all, but also very interesting. And powerful." She lifted her chin and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Who wouldn't want to grow up to be as strong as her?"

Both of the children seemed quite happy with her reply and Darla felt like maybe befriending Harry wouldn't be as hard as she had begun to worry. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the sweets she'd picked out at the corner shop. "I bought these down at the corner store before coming over. Want to share them with me?" She looked over at the carrots and broccoli. "Maybe we can find some rabbits to feed those to after we're done."

"Or Harry could just make them disappear," Gail offered.

Harry's face turned stormy and he whacked his sister over the head. "Abigail!" he yelled as the girl jerked away from him, already tearing up.

"Oi! No hitting!" Darla snapped as she pulled Harry's sister over to her side to inspect her head. It looked like there wouldn't even be a bump, thankfully. "You need to apologize right now."

The boy was still glowering at his sister as he spat, "Sorry."

Smoothing down Gail's hair, Darla said, "You know, your aunt already told me about the odd things that go on around here." Starting to braid a little plait into the girl's hair, she said, "And I don't care. I've seen my fair share of disappearing vegetables and broken toys fixing themselves under the right hands." She met Harry's gaze as she began on another plait. "You aren't going to scare me away."

Harry stared at her with large, stunned eyes. As if he couldn't comprehend what she just said to him. Darla hoped she hadn't ruined things by playing this hand so early. She had a feeling he was going to try and find ways to test her now, but she reckoned she could manage that. She'd not only seen, but done her fair share of accidental magic and she doubted anything he did could surprise her.

A knocking from the front of the house started. "I'll see who that is," Darla told the children. "Why don't you help yourselves to the sweets?" she suggested with a wink.

Leaving the brother and sister, she went and opened the front door. There was a frumpy young woman on the other side. "Hello, I'm the new minder, Melissa. It's nice to meet you…?"

Darla thought fast. "Oh dear, did my mother forget to call you?" she said with a fretful tug on a lock of her hair. "I'm sorry, Melissa, but we don't need your services anymore. I was going to see my grandparents for the summer, but, well, things changed and I'm now available to watch my cousins for the summer."

"Oh," she replied, blinking. "Oh…"

She reached out and gave the woman's plump arm a pat. "I am sorry."

Melissa returned the gesture with a half-smile. "It's fine. Thank you and sorry to bother you…"

"It's quite alright. Once again, I'm very sorry my mother didn't call. It must have slipped her mind with everything else she's been juggling in regards to my aunt and her family lately. Have a lovely day!"

"You too," she said in return as she turned away and headed for a junky-looking automobile parked on the street. Closing the door on Melissa's back, Darla grinned to herself. That had gone splendidly! She was starting to think Muggles were easier to trick than witches and wizards. With a bounce in her step, she headed back to Harry and Gail.

* * *

 **How'd you like Darla and Harry's first meeting with each other? Thoughts on Gail? Mrs. Hershel?**

 **Thank you for reading :)**


	5. Little Lie Upon Little Lie

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

When Darla returned from answering the door, the children were halfway through the candy. She laughed at the sight and snagged the bag of gummies from Gail. "I think I should at least get a few of these, don't you?"

The pair looked a little sheepish and let her take a handful of her sweets before they made grabby hands to have the colorfully packaged treats returned to them. Happily, she handed them over and as they chewed and cracked into their candy she asked Harry and Gail what they wanted to do. Gail offered several options. She'd like to watch a film (whatever that was) on the telly or maybe play ponies or, better yet, could they go play tag out front?

Darla wasn't sure she would be able to work the telly, so that was out unless she was certain she could convince one of the children to get this film onto it themselves. Ponies didn't seem like something Harry would be interested in playing and she wanted to include both of them in whatever they did. Her whole point of being here after all was to get to know Harry and befriend him in place of Lottie. So, with a smile, she said, "Tag sounds like a lovely idea. The weather's so brilliant today! Don't you agree, Harry?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders in a noncommital way and said nothing. Darla tried to not feel too disappointed by that. She had just dropped a rather large quaffle on his head not too long ago. He was probably deciding if he could trust her word. Taking hold of Gail's hand and giving it a playful swing, she suggested, "Perhaps after we tire of tag I can tell you two a story about Morgan le Fay and Merlin that I know."

Harry's eyes sparked a moment before he purposefully looked away and Gail began to hop up and down. "Oh yes!" she agreed. "We love stories! Mummy used to read us one _every_ night before she got sick!"

Darla kept her smile fixed on her face as she made a noise of interest. She wanted to know terribly what it was Mrs. Cross was ill with. It seemed quite serious from what little Mrs. Hershel had let slip and what Gail was telling her now. Patience wasn't necessarily a strong suit of Darla's, but she did know when to exercise it. Unfortunately, this seemed to be one of those cases. The children would give her more pieces with time she felt certain and, perhaps, if she was very lucky, someone would actually mention the name at some point.

"Well, I suppose we ought to hurry up and play tag then!" Darla replied cheerily as she led them all outside.

-O-

The afternoon went by quickly after the three of them went outside to play. Harry was still fairly standoffish with her throughout, but she had caught him suppressing laughter a couple of times while they ran around and he kept hiding his mouth behind his hands as she told them the story. She was certain it was because he didn't want her to see him smiling.

A little while after they finished the story and had moved onto looking at the children's pictures in the drive, Harry asked, "What book did you read that story in?"

Darla paused a moment and carefully picked her words for the fib she'd have to tell him. "I'm not sure, actually," she told him. "My sister used to tell it to me and my older nieces when we little. I know she read it out of a book once, but she's horrible at remembering names and I don't think she ever said where she got the story from."

Harry deflated a little. "Oh."

She felt bad. He'd just begun to talk to her… "I can try and ask," she said. "But even if I don't know the title, I do know a few more stories. A couple of them have King Arthur and his knights even."

"Are any of those knights Lancelot?" Harry inquired, looking hopeful behind his fringe.

Darla chuckled. "One or two, yes."

He smiled a moment and looked as if he was going to say something, but, suddenly, she saw Gail dart away from her side and toward the street with a cry of "Mummy!"

The two of them turned to see Mrs. Hershel helping a pale woman wearing a wool hat and sweater out of an automobile. That had to be Mrs. Cross. Oh, the poor woman! She looked just terrible. However, when Mrs. Cross was embraced by her daughter, her face livened as a little pink came to her cheeks and her eyes crinkled with a joy. It was hard, but Darla thought if she squinted, she could see the lovely, healthy woman Harry's mum used to be before her illness took her.

"Harry! Darcy!" Mrs. Hershel called. "Will you two get dinner and the shopping from the boot for me?"

Darla put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Shall we?" she inquired.

The boy nodded.

As they passed the sisters and Gail, Darla heard Mrs. Crosss whisper, "I thought Raymond said the new minder's name was Melissa? Or was that the last one?"

"Erm…" Mrs. Hershel replied.

Darla knew she should probably pretend she didn't hear. If she did, she could probably put off answering the question for later— Perhaps until the next time she came to see Harry and Gail. But she would look much more honest if she told them something now, she knew. Turning to them, she said, "I'm sorry to sound like a sneak, but I overheard your question Mrs. Cross." She put a hand over her heart. "I am Melissa. Or, rather, I was. I've been contemplating changing my name for quite some time. It's just in the past few days I decided I will. I figured it would be easier for everyone if I started to go by it now instead of waiting until its officially changed."

Mrs. Cross smiled, face softening as she did so. It seemed to Darla she'd feared she was forgetting or confusing things. Perhaps that was part of her illness? Or what if the issue was mixing things up and a foggy memory were a sign things were getting worse? Merlin! Was she glad she said something now! Darla wouldn't want the woman to think her illness was getting worse when it wasn't. Shakily, Harry's mum reached over to pat her arm. "That's quite alright, Darcy," she reassured her. "I appreciate your honesty."

Darla grinned as her heart twisted in her chest. She hoped this poor woman never found out the truth about her. The betrayal and shock would likely kill her, she was so frail.

"You're welcome, Madam," she said. She turned her attention to Harry. "Come on, let's get the shopping."

Harry nodded.

Together, they brought it all into the house and put it away. After they finished with that, Darla spent a few minutes conversing with Mrs. Cross and Mrs. Hershel; she learned a little about them (Mrs. Cross had been a substitute primary school teacher for the area before she fell ill and Mrs. Hershel was a homemaker with two teenage sons and ran a little knitting group that met every Wednesday afternoon), but mostly they wanted to know more about her. Where she went to school ("A boarding school in Scotland. You wouldn't know it, it's quite small."), what she liked to do ("Reading, mostly, these days. I used to do a lot of, ah, riding with one my nieces."), and about her family ("I live with my brother, his wife, and their daughters. My parents passed when I was little.")

As their questions tapered off, Darla was thanked for her work and reminded she would be needed again on Thursday about the same time. Happy to learn she would get to come back so soon, Darla smiled as she shook hands with both women and assured them she would be on time. This seemed to please them greatly, as they grinned back. Mrs. Hershel followed her to the door and waved goodbye from the threshold as she walked down the street and back toward the main part of town.

While she couldn't be certain what Thursday would hold, today had gone quite well overall and she hoped her next visit with Harry and his family would go just as smoothly.

-o-O-o-

An hour later as Darla sat down to dinner with her own family, her brother turned to her and asked, "How were the Mulpeppers?"

"Well," she answered. While she put a helping of potatoes on her plate, she said, "Mr. Mulpepper's still trying to persuade me to take over the apothecaries."

Severus shook his head. "That man," he said with fond exasperation.

Darla shrugged back at him. It was just life now to have the shops constantly pushed on her by the well-meaning old man. Besides, she knew all she had to do was say she wasn't interested with the right amount of conviction and he'd set his sights on one of her nieces in a couple of years when they were Hogwarts-age. And, perhaps, with the right persuasion one in particular. She stole a glance at Essie. The girl was picking at her spinach with a pronounced scowl (No surprise there, spinach was her niece's mortal enemy. She didn't know why her brother and sister insisted on putting it on Essie's plate. She was never going to eat it).

While Darla was almost absolutely certain Essie would want the apothecaries, it was probably for the best she check with her first. While her second youngest niece wasn't the one who had trouble saying no to things, she did adore Mr. Mulpepper a little more than the rest of him thanks to his profession and the hours he would spend walking her around his shops explaining ingredients and their uses to her. She might feel obligated to go along with his plans after all the kindness he'd shown her.

"Perhaps I should tell him that he ought to be trying to convince you, Essie, not me, that running a pair of apothecaries is a lovely career."

The girl looked up, lanky black hair falling in the front of her eyes. "You don't want the apothecaries?" she asked with a note of shock to her tone.

Darla snorted at her disbelief. Trust that Essie couldn't conceive the idea of someone not wanting them. "I want them about as much as I want a dragon. It's too much work for me," she said. "And I'm not half as passionate about potions as you."

"So I can have 'em?" she inquired squinting at Darla now like she was looking for a trick.

She nodded. "If Mr. Mulpepper will let you, yes you can. I just hope you'll offer me a job at one of the shops if becoming a Healer doesn't work out for me…" she trailed off with a teasing smirk.

"O' course!" agreed Essie with several vigorous nods as the joking tone went right over her head.

She chuckled before turning her attention back to her dinner.

"Wha' else did yeh do terday?" Edie inquired between bites of porkchop.

Darla felt her shoulders go taut. "Oh… Not much," she replied. "Just walked around Diagon, mostly. Had ice cream with a couple of housemates I ran into."

"Tha' sounds nice. Perhaps the next time yeh go out yer nieces can go with yeh."

Her dinner tasted liked dirt in her mouth as she replied, "Yeah, maybe." She was going to have to leave early on Thursday. There was no way she would be able to keep her visiting Harry a secret if she had to take the girls with her. Darla also doubted the Crosses would take well to her bringing her nieces along to mind their children.

Severus looked up from his dinner and pinned their sister a stare. "I hope you plan to go with Darla and the girls, Edie. She'll need help keeping an eye on all of them and I think leaving the castle would be good for you too."

Edie dropped her fork and knife onto her plate. "Darla's taken 'em all on her own before when… when… she's _done it_. And I'm fine, I don't need ter go nowhere," she said. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she mumbled, "Now, if yeh'll 'excuse me."

Her brother got to his feet to follow Edie out of the kitchen. As he did so, he called, voice cracking, "Edie!"

A minute later, Darla put down her own fork and knife. She wasn't hungry anymore. With a sigh she pushed herself away from the table and noticed her nieces were all still sitting; Essie was fidgetting in her seat, Eileen's stare was fixed on the doorway her parents had left through, and Calliope was sniffling into her dinner. She couldn't leave them like this. What kind of aunt would she be if she did? A piss-poor one, that was for certain.

"Come on," she told them. "Let's go have a nail varnish party in my room."

The way they all scrambled to their feet to follow her out told Darla she had made the right decision— ven if all she wanted to do was to curl up around her pillow in bed to wallow a bit before taking a nap.

* * *

 **A whole lotta Harry this chapter and some of Darla's family too? Favorite part this chapter? Least favorite?**

 **Thank you guys for reading :)**


	6. Difficult Conversations

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

As she prepared to leave for Sudley, Darla took a seat beside a quietly reading Eileen on the lounge room's sofa. While Darla pulled on her Muggle trainers she watched Essie and Calliope with passive interest. The two were trying to build a tower of cards out of a deck of Exploding Snaps. It would only be a matter of time before one of the cards went off and toppled the structure to the floor. A darting glance around the rest of the room was enough to tell Darla, as was typical these days, Edie was nowhere to be found. _  
_

However, Darla thought she'd caught a glimpse of Edie in Severus's and her room earlier when her brother went in it to retrieve a robe to wear for the day. If things followed the new pattern that had begun to shape their days since Lottie's funeral, whenever Severus returned from whatever professor-y duties it was that kept him away during the morning he would drag Edie out for lunch and make sure she ate before leaving to attend to more business.

Her brother never used to spend so much time away from them all during the summer, but, then, there hadn't been a summer without Lottie for nearly a decade now either. Tears burned behind her eyes. Shaking her head to rid her sorrow and the awful thought, Darla returned her attention to her trainers and did up the laces before rising to a stand. However, instead of heading for the floo, she just stared at her nieces.

Darla couldn't do it. She couldn't leave the girls here to have yet another miserable day alone inside the castle. That just wasn't a way to spend the summer. "Who wants to go see our dear friends the Bones?" she asked with a wide, forced grin.

All of the girls looked up, eyes shining with hope, but all too scared to say anything lest she rescinded her invitation.

"I'll leave a note for Sev," she told them. Finding some parchment, she scribbled down she and the girls were going to see the Bones family and used a sticking charm to attach it to the door so her brother would see it when he came back to their rooms for lunch.

Gathering the girls together, she made sure all of them were wearing appropriate clothing for a day out and that their hair was brushed. Once satisfied they all looked passable, if not neat, she had them huddle with her in the floo as she called out the Bones' family address.

-o-O-o-

If she looked to her right and out the window, Darla would see Susan and Essie watering the plethora of flowers the Bones family grew in their garden. Should she look left instead, she would see Eileen and George putting together a thousand piece puzzle with a little help from Calliope. However, Darla did not look in either direction, instead, she stared straight ahead; meeting Stephen's angry, stupified gaze head-on.

"Where in Merlin's name are you going you can't take them? Or that we can't all go!" he demanded.

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "All you need to know is I have business to attend to and that I want you to watch my nieces along with your brother and cousin for a few hours. I'll be back for them by dinner."

Stephen squared his shoulders and stepped forward to tower over Darla.

Utterly unintimidated by the teenager she remembered best as the eleven-year-old she helped up from the ground after he tripped over the hem of his too-large robe on their first day as Hogwarts students, she hissed, "You owe me."

"What?" Stephen sputtered back.

She repeated herself. "You owe me." Grabbing him by the arm, she made the decision to pull him into the hallway. Her nieces and his brother didn't need to overhear more of this than necessary. Once they were in the hall, she said, "Look, I know you don't do well in a crisis. The way you blubbered like a baby when I sliced my head open on the grand staircase after Keith Roper pushed me down when we were eleven taught me that. But Merlin, Morgana, and Mordred, Stephen! When Lottie died… You just—" Darla stopped to swallow down the sob that was suddenly surging up her throat. Once she felt a little more in control, she croaked, "You just disappeared. I couldn't find you anywhere, even when all I wanted was someone to sit with me."

Her friend was staring at his toes now. In a murmur, he started, "Your brother—"

"—Had a wife and three daughters who needed him too, nevermind that he was grieving Lottie as well. Sometimes, he just couldn't be there with me." Hands balling into fists, she uttered, "You would think you never lost someone you loved before."

They both knew he had. They'd talked about it more than once; it had bonded them even. They were two orphans who had lived just long enough to truly love their parents, but never really know them.

Stephen looked up, eyes wide and wet with shame. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't—" he stopped. "There's no way I can explain this or make up for it, is there?" he asked miserably.

Darla bit her lip. There really wasn't, she realized. She would never fully trust Stephen to be there for her again. Darla looked away. She whispered, "No."

He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his auburn locks. "I'll keep an eye on the girls for you."

Her eyes snapped back to him. "Really?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah," he promised. "You'll be back for them by dinner?"

She almost smiled. "Yes."

Stephen reached out to pull her into a loose embrace. "Okay, have… fun… doing whatever it is you're going to do."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," Darla replied as she hugged him back.

-o-O-o-

She tried to put on a smile and be jolly for Harry and Gail for the first couple of hours she was with them, but after a while, it was just too much for Darla to handle. She was tired and raw and couldn't stop thinking about her nieces. She hoped they were having fun with Stephen and the others and not worrying about her, or Edie, or Severus. They were the oldest and it wasn't the little ones' jobs to fret about them.

In spite of hiding her melancholy, Harry and Gail almost immediately noticed something was off – and not in a good way – about Darla. Gail tempered her exuberance from the day before and insisted they all watch a happy-ending film. Darla was very pleased to find out a film was essentially a pre-performed play recorded on not-quite-magical-camera film that was kept in a black box and activated by putting it in an even bigger black box. Watching the film meant none of them had to talk to each other (though, Gail sang along to some of the songs), and for a little while she got to lose herself in the story of a little orphan girl named Annie. It wasn't even half-bad a story. On some level, she imagined they all identified with Annie a little more than the rest of the population seeing as they were all orphans who had found new families for themselves.

When it was over, Darla turned her attention to the lounge room's window. It wasn't exactly sunny, from the looks of it, but it wasn't raining either. "There's a park nearby, isn't there?" asked she.

"Yes, down behind the Bennington's house," Harry answered.

She smiled at the two. While her nieces were still weighing heavy on her mind, she felt a little better now too. "Would you like to go there for a bit? We have an hour and a half before your mum and aunt are due back."

Harry shrugged as Gail popped up from the sofa. "I'll get my trainers!" she shouted, running for the piles of shoes by the base of the stairs.

Amused, she remarked to Harry, "I guess we're going."

He nodded, though, instead of smirking back at Darla, his lips pulled down into a pensive frown.

What was he worried about?

-O-

Ten minutes later, Darla watched from a swing as Gail chased two boys about her age around the park's play structure. Her face was flushed from her game and eyes shining. It was obvious she was having a lot of fun and so were the lads if the big grins they wore were anything to go by. Casting her gaze out to the nearby football field, she saw several boys and a couple of girls kicking around a ball. Harry lingered close by, watching, but going no nearer.

Darla sent Gail one last glance to reassure herself she'd be fine for a minute if she turned her back on the girl to speak to Harry. Getting up from the swing, she walked over to Harry. Keeping her eyes on the children playing with the ball, she came up next to Harry. Darla crossed her arms after a moment and side-eyed Harry.

"Not going to join in?" she asked.

He shook his head. "They'll never let me near the ball anyway."

She sighed. "You know it's not always going to be like this, don't you?"

Harry turned his head and stared at her with incredulous eyes. "Sudley isn't a big town. To them, I'm always going to be the strange Cross boy that made spiders attack Lauren Clarke."

Darla turned to face Harry. She placed a hand on his shoulders and, like when she declared she wouldn't be scared off by a bit of oddness, she met his gaze. "You, Harry, are meant for so much more than a life in Sudley." Letting her hand fall away, she looked back over at the play structure and smiled when she saw Gail and the two lads were now all hanging from a set of metal bars making faces at one another. "Just you wait and see."

He snorted. "I'm not Peter Pevensie or Ender Wiggin, Darcy. I'm just Harry."

"What?" she said, confused. Then, realizing they're likely characters from those books Harry had in the Cross's living room, she shook her head. "Oh, Harry…" she trailed off. How much should she really say now? How much _could_ she without having to worry that she would be found out? She bit her lip. Finally, Darla told Harry, "You'll see, just you wait."

He scoffed and returned his attention to the children playing football.

Darla felt like a failure as she slinked back to the swings to watch over Gail.

* * *

 **How did you guys like (substantively) meeting Stephen? Did you enjoy the scenes with Harry? Like the literary references? ;)**

 **Thank you all a million for reading!**


	7. Trying to Stay Above Water

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

Toweling her hair as she came out of the bath, Darla nearly bowled over Eileen in the process. Stumbling back after stepping on her niece's toes, she grumbled, "Eileen!"

The girl stared up at her, unperturbed by the fact she'd nearly been flattened. "Where did you go today?" she asked.

Darla stiffened. She let the towel she was using fall around her shoulders and craned her neck to glance into the drawing room. Severus was busy reading Calliope's bedtime story to her and Essie and Edie were nowhere to be found. Perhaps Essie was laying down with Edie, she'd taken to doing that in the last week since Edie rarely had the interest or energy to be out of her and Severus's bed for long. She snagged her niece by the wrist and pulled her into her bedroom. Once there, Darla directed Eileen to take a seat on her bed as she went to her armoire to pull out some jimjams. As she slipped out of her dressing gown and pulled on the shorts of her jimjam set, she turned back around to see Eileen picking at a loose string on her duvet.

"You can't tell Sev or Edie, alright?" Darla warned while buttoning up her top.

Eileen looked at her with furrowed brows. She'd always had a striking resemblance to Edie – even more so than Lottie – but it was when her niece made the same faces her sister did that Darla was reminded just how much Eileen was Edie's daughter. It didn't stop at appearances and for that, Darla was glad it was Eileen asking her this question and not Essie.

Essie couldn't keep a secret for the life of her, unlike Eileen. Her oldest niece was surprisingly (and worryingly) good at keeping her mouth shut.

Though she didn't look terribly happy about the request, her niece nodded her head, agreeing to Darla's terms (for now, anyhow. She'd probably press after she got her answer). "Alright," she said.

Darla sucked in a breath and considered how much of a lie she was going to tell. She could say something utterly untruthful, like she was seeing a boy she knew Severus didn't like (and were there a lot of those these days), or settle for something nearer to reality. Considering how well Eileen knew Darla and her ticks, a vaguer, more truthful fib would have to be told. "I'm watching a pair of siblings for a housemate," she explained. "She asked for me to come by and help a couple of times a week so she can sneak off to assist a friend her parents don't approve of with his sick mother." She pulled a face at her niece. "Their reason for not liking him is quite idiotic as you can probably imagine."

"He's a Muggleborn?" Eileen inquired in a tone that implied she was really just looking for confirmation.

She shook her head. "His mother is, however."

Her niece flopped back onto Darla's bed. "Slytherin Purebloods are all dunderheads."

"Hey! Watch how you talk about my house!" Darla chided, but she was smiling as she did so. There were a lot of pricks in her house and everyone knew it – even if it pained Severus to admit sometimes as he was very proud of how successful his students were.

Eileen giggled before she rolled over to look at Darla. "Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

"Of course," she said. "But why?"

Her niece's gaze dropped to the duvet. "It's too quiet in my room now."

Darla's heart twisted. "Oh," she whispered. Dropping the towel from earlier on the floor, she joined Eileen on the bed and brought her into her arms. "If you like, I can ask Sev and Edie about moving your bed in here for the rest of the summer."

"Please?" mumbled Eileen as she buried her face in Darla's shoulder. "I know I should be learnin' to sleep alone, but it's scary."

She ran a hand through her niece's wavy hair and made some soothing sounds when warm tears began to soak into her shirt. "It's okay," she said, "you can take it all at your own pace. No one will be upset with you."

Eileen peeked up from her shoulder with red-rimmed, grateful eyes. "Thank you," she warbled before burying her face back in Darla's front to weep a little more. Darla continued to comfort her niece as the thick, metallic taste of blood filled her mouth with the force she was using to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from sobbing herself.

This was all her fault. It was because of her that Eileen was being forced to grow up far faster than she should have to and yet… her little niece was still seeking Darla out for comfort. She'd let Lottie, her twin, die, but Eileen still loved her. Darla didn't deserve her. Strengthening her embrace of Eileen, Darla carefully laid them down on her bed and prayed for when the day came that her niece realized what Darla had done to her she wouldn't be too cruel during the subsequent confrontation.

-o-O-o-

"So, Gail's off at a birthday party I hear."

Harry didn't look up from the book he was reading, just bobbed his head in agreement. Darla exhaled and walked over to the sofa where Harry was scrunched up at one end with his novel. She sat down on the other end and slipped out of her shoes. Lifting her legs onto the sofa, she used a foot to poke Harry's shin. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

He looked at her from behind his book. "I don't need a minder. I'm almost eleven. Since Gail's not here, you can do whatever, I'm fine reading here."

Darla prodded Harry again.

This time he put his book down. "What?"

"Have you considered that perhaps I'm speaking to you because I want to do something with you?"

Harry blinked. Then he cocked his head and asked, "What could you possibly want to do with me?"

She shrugged. "What do you like to do for fun around here?"

He lifted his book so she could see the cover a little better. There were three green circles with white silhouettes of people inside decorating it and the words _A Wrinkle in Time_ printed in the left corner. "Read," he replied.

Darla pursed her lips. "Surely there's more you like to do?"

"No," he answered. "Not really."

Her brother often complained about her inability to let something go (which always used to make Edie laugh because he's the exact same way), but it's in situations like these she's glad for the trait. "Not _really_ , huh?" she repeated. "That means there's something else you like to do! Come on, Harry, tell me!"

He scowled. "Just leave me alone!" he snapped. As if to emphasize his point, some of the toy ponies Gail liked to play with flew off their "pasture" (the desk) and at Darla. Used to dodging the occasional bird or stray bludger, she ducked her head. When she was certain she wouldn't be pelted with plastic horses anymore, she lifted her head.

Harry was staring at her, eyes big and scared. "I," he stammered, "I didn't mean–"

She laughed. "That was a good one!" she exclaimed. "My niece, Lottie, when she was three or four she threw the worst tantrum about eating her parsnips at dinner and managed to upturn everyone's glasses when she started screaming. That was a lot of glasses too since we were eating in the Great–" Darla stopped. She was sharing too much. Not just about Hogwarts either.

"You're not… very cross with me?"

Darla shook her head. "No, should I be?" She narrowed her eyes in mock-suspicion. "Did you do it on purpose?"

"No!" Harry denied.

She nodded. "Then there's nothing for me to be upset about." She smiled at him. "I would hope you'd apologize if one had managed to hit me, though."

"I would have," Harry assured fervently.

They were quiet for a moment. When the air felt a little calmer, Darla leaned forward and rested her arms on her knees. Putting on a kind expression, she explained, "These incidents won't happen so much in a couple of months. I imagine it's only so awful now because you're under a lot of stress from your mum being ill and not feeling very happy because you don't have many friends."

He snorted. "Try no friends."

Darla pouted. "What? Are we not friends? And Gail? Is she chopped liver?"

Harry snickered and, briefly, he looked like a normal little boy instead of the sullen one she knew him to be. "You're my nanny and she's my sister!"

"Can't we be your mates as well? I know I think of you as more than just the boy I look after," she persisted.

Harry bit his lip. "I… guess," he relented.

She grinned at him. "Wicked!" she exclaimed. Jumping up, she grabbed Harry's elbow and dragged him off the sofa. "To celebrate, let's head to the bakery I saw in town. We can get some biscuits or perhaps some treacle tart! Anything sweet! If Gail's having cake without us, we'll have something without her too."

The boy laughed and followed her to the entryway to put on his shoes and grab an umbrella to combat the rain outside as she opened the door for them.

-O-

Twenty minutes later when they began the walk back to Harry's home, he was licking the frosting from his biscuit off of his fingers while she brushed the crumbs from her scone from her hands. Between licks, Harry glanced at her. Finally, after several looks, he started, "Earlier, you said 'it' was only so bad because of everything that's going on right now." He looked up at her, eyes curious and desperate. "Darcy, what is 'it'?"

She froze. Darla knew she'd messed up. She'd let him know too much. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Regarding Harry with a bland eye, she asked, "Harry, how much about your first parents have your mum and dad explained to you?"

"A bit. They told me my mum was Dad's cousin and they were killed trying to protect me from a madman who died too." He lifted his fringe and gave her a good look at his famous scar. "That's how I got this funny scar too."

Darla nodded along to this explanation. "I see."

"They said there's more to it than that, but they have to wait until I'm eleven to tell me."

"Hmm…"

Harry huffed. "So, are you going to tell me or do I have to wait until I'm older for this too?"

"No, no," reassured Darla. "I'm going to tell you, I'm just considering how." She didn't want to tell Harry too much or anything too incriminating that would have her caught by Harry's parents or whoever came to deliver his Hogwarts letter to him. Finally, an idea came to her. "Do you know how you told me you made spiders attack Lauren Clark?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "Right, so, that happened because of the same thing that made Gail's ponies fly at me: it was magic."

"Magic's just for books!" Harry argued.

Darla laughed. "For _normal_ people, perhaps." She crouched down so they were the same height and smiled at him. "But you and me, we're not normal." She tilted her head and side-eyed him. Tone light, Darla remarked, "But I bet you a clever boy like you knew that already."

He flushed. "I… A little, I guess. You've been different from everyone else from the start."

She nodded. "We're magic, you and I."

"Can you tell me more? About magic, I mean."

Darla puckered her lips with thought. "A little," she agreed. "I don't want to give away too much. It'll spoil all the fun you'll have soon if I do."

"Okay," he replied. As they began to walk again, he inquired, "Are there a lot of people who do magic?"

"Yes," Darla answered, "There are millions all over the world who can."

Harry nodded at this information. "And in England?"

She turned her gaze skyward. "That's a little tricky to answer…"

* * *

 **How do you like the way things are progressing with Darla and Harry? Did you enjoy the one-on-one scene with Darla and Eileen? Is there anything you didn't care for?**

 **Thank you all for reading!**


	8. Reliving the Fall

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

In the first week of July Stephen invited Darla at the last minute to a Quidditch game with him and most of his family. His aunt, Meg Bones, had been planning to go with her family, but days before the game her elderly mother took a tumble on a slick footpath after a rainstorm and broke her knee. As Mrs. Bones's two younger brothers couldn't take time off from work and the older's wife was heavily pregnant with their third child, it fell on Stephen's aunt to go home to Liverpool and help her mother until she was well enough to come home from the hospital.

Darla agreed to the offer happily after a bit of dithering. Initially, she wondered if it would be a good idea after her experience in the spring. Quidditch involved a lot of brooms and flying, after all. But then she started to just think of the Quidditch aspect and how much she had always enjoyed the game from the time she was little and Professor Hooch took her to a game one afternoon after the niece she was supposed to go to it with fell ill. That old memory made her think of the last game she went to (it had been the summer before, Sev had taken her as a birthday present. Lottie and Stephen had gone with them).

She realized then it had been _ages_ since she last saw a professional Quidditch game. She then recalled, after a little more musing, going with Stephen and his family was certain to be entertaining. All of them rooted for different teams and watching them squabble about who's favorite was better was always a fun show to catch. After agreeing, though, she instantly regretted it for an entirely different reason from her initial reservations. It was only an invitation for her and she felt badly about doing something so fun without her nieces. When she voiced this regret, Severus insisted she go.

"I'll take the girls out to do something while you're away," he promised.

She pursed her lips. "For more than sweets in Hogsmeade I hope."

"What's wrong with a visit to Honeydukes?"

She sighed and started to turn away from her brother as she thought through better possibilities for her nieces. Something new. Something that just couldn't remind them of Lottie and would be a day they could look back on fondly among the many bleak ones they were experiencing now. An idea came to Darla. The last time she was nannying Harry and Gail, they mentioned going to the cinema with Mrs. Hershel while their parents were out of town visiting one of their mum's specialist healers. Gail had gone on and on about the film, she'd just loved that it had horses. What was it called…

Darla spun around to face her brother again. "You ought to take them to a Muggle cinema. A mate saw a film about a girl and horses she liked very much at one. I think it was named 'Wild Hearts Won't Break' or something close to that."

He stared down at her in bewilderment. "What friend is going to Muggle films?"

"Fine, they're an acquaintance," Darla replied with a huff. "You should still take them to see it. I'm sure they would enjoy it."

Severus nodded. "Perhaps," he said.

Darla grinned. Perhaps was as good as yes when it came to her brother. "Oh, Sev!" she exclaimed as she swept forward to embrace him. "You'll see, you all will have a wonderful time!"

He patted her back. "I hope you're right."

-o-O-o-

As Darla struggled to breathe she realized that agreeing to a Quidditch game was as terrible an idea as she initially feared. Witches and wizards weren't just playing a game on the brooms, they were flying, diving, feigning on them and _fast_. What was worst of all was that, sometimes, they fell. She dug her fingers into the bench beneath her while she tried to keep her panic quiet. Stephen, his little brother, and cousin were enjoying themselves far too much for her to want to ruin things by alerting them to her terror and forcing them all to leave.

Darla attempted to suck in a deep breath and failed. Her fear increased tenfold as her gaze began to narrow into nothing more than pinpricks. She needed to get this under control before Stephen's uncle came back with their snacks! She tried to breathe in again and managed to get in enough air to widen her scope of vision, though, she felt suddenly very light-headed. Bringing a shaky hand to her brow, she rested it against her hot face and felt relief at the coolness of her clammy hand.

She shook every now and then as her breathing slowly became more regular. Finally, she felt more normal. A very tired sort of normal, but that was just fine. It was better than feeling as if devil's snare was choking the life out of her. When Stephen's uncle returned with a range of snacks and drinks, he only cocked his head at her.

"Are you feeling alright, Darla? You look a bit pale."

Darla dredged up a very convincing grin for her best friend's surrogate father. "Really?" she said. "Perhaps I'm coming down with whatever my nieces have. Essie's been sniffling for a few days and Calliope just started this morning. I guess I'm up next for their cold!"

Mr. Bones continued to look concerned, but he nodded. "If you start to feel poorly, just let me know. We can leave," he told Darla.

"Thank you," she replied, "but I'm okay right now."

As he settled in and passed around the snacks and drinks, Darla carefully kept her attention on the food until it was gone and then moved her attention to the heads of the people sitting in front of her. When the game was winding down and it became clear the Falmouth Falcons were going to win she fibbed about a headache to Stephen's uncle.

Even though Susan and George whined about it a little, they all gathered their things and left. Once Darla was standing on the sturdy ground she felt a million times more like herself. One thing was clear to her now, however, she would never be able to attend another Quidditch game again. The flying, tricks, and potential for the players all to plummet to their deaths simply reminded her too much of Lottie's end. It was a depressing understanding to come to for Darla as she'd always loved watching Quidditch games, but she hated the feeling of being unable to breathe and the reminder of Lottie's fall even more.

-o-O-o-

"How was the cinema?" asked Darla upon coming home from the Quidditch game.

Her brother looked up from the paper he was reading on the sofa. "Eileen was a big fan of it," he said. "Essie and Calliope enjoyed the popcorn and wine gummies more than the film itself."

She laughed. "And Edie? What did she think of it all? I imagine she thought it was a big adventure! We've rarely left the magical world to do things together."

Severus looked away from her. "She… Didn't come."

A mixture of dismay and anger overcame her. "What?" She knitted her brows together and frowned. "Why not?"

He sighed and put down his paper. Her brother didn't answer immediately, instead choosing to run his hands through his hair. "She didn't feel well," he finally explained.

"That's a bunch of rot and you know it!" she snapped. "You should have made Edie. She needs to get out of this bloody castle!"

Severus glared at her. "Watch your mouth, girl," he growled. "Edie's grieving."

"And we aren't?" yelled Darla.

He stood up. "Not everyone deals with grief the same way," he countered.

"Wallowing isn't going to help her! She needs to get up! Carry on like the rest of us!"

Her brother swept forward and pushed his hawkish nose into her face. "Do _not_ tell me how I should handle my wife little girl."

Darla jutted her chin forward, entirely unintimidated. This was Severus, he would _never_ hurt her— No matter how furious she made him. "I'm nearly of age," she reminded Severus. "I'm no child."

He scoffed at her. "As if age truly defines if one is grown or no."

She crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze. "That may be so," she agreed. "But I think I'm a little more worldly than most fifteen-year-olds, wouldn't you agree, _brother_? I did watch my parents burn up in a fire as a _toddler_ , was scarred in a war that changed our lives before I could do long division, helped you and Edie with the girls – Calliope especially – and I've watched my niece, one of my best friends _die_ in front of me."

Severus's mouth was a thin line. He was silent a time and as he drew it out anxiety began to twist and pull at Darla's heart. What was Severus thinking? What was he going to do? Say? Finally, he told her, "I've parented on the principle of doing the opposite of what our parents would, and when I was at a loss on what to do, I took advice from Edie." He turned away from her, locking his arms behind him. "Perhaps I was wrong to never heed our father's example. If I had spoken the way you do to me at times to _him_ …" Severus shook his head. "I don't want to imagine the whipping I'd have gotten."

Darla did her best to stay her shaking hands. Over the years, especially since she had begun to attend Hogwarts, her brother had been alluding more and more to what their father had been like in his treatment of Severus and their mother. It hadn't sounded all that different from what she remembered experiencing. But to learn he'd purposefully hit her brother? It made Darla feel sick. She'd always imagined he had experienced the same long, scary hours in the dark cupboard under the sink and the constant sneering she had, not _worse_ things.

"But I don't feel now is the time to start following his lead," he said, facing her once again.

Darla released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Eyes hard, her brother continued, "However, I do realize some sort of correction is in order. I have given you far too much freedom if you think you can get away with such impudence." He put out his hand. "Give me your wand. You are hereby grounded until I decide otherwise. Do not leave our quarters and know if you try one of the girls or the portraits of Hogwarts _will_ tell me."

She balled her hands into fists. Oh no! This was more than a bit not good. How was she going to see Harry and Gail tomorrow? Darla very much wanted to argue, but she was more clever than that. She put her wand in her brother's hand.

Severus tucked it away in the pocket of his robe. "Thank you," he said. "Continue to heed my words and I may just make your grounding only a week rather than a month."

Darla scowled. "Brilliant," she snarked.

He glared. "Darla."

She waved him off and stomped off to her room. Going in, she made a point to slam the door behind her. Severus needed to know how furious she was with him and the more noise the better as far as she was concerned. When she looked away from the door, she saw Eileen tucked up on her bed with a book. She sighed. "Eileen," she greeted.

Her niece blinked big, dark blue eyes at Darla. "Um," she mumbled.

"How much did you hear?"

Eileen's stocking-covered toes twitched. "A lot," she finally answered.

Darla covered her mouth to muffle her cussing. "D'you think the other girls heard too?"

"No, they went with Hagrid to his visit at his hut when he popped by to see how we are."

Gratefulness for the half-giant washed over Darla. "Thank Merlin."

Her niece bit her lip. "Are you… alright?"

"Fine," Darla replied in a brisk tone as she hurried over to her own bed. "Look, can we not talk any more about what just happened? It's nothing, you'll see."

Eileen didn't look convinced, but nodded. "Okay."

Darla flopped onto her back. "I'm going to take a kip," she told her.

The younger just stared at Darla over the top of her book. Darla ignored her silence and rolled onto her side toward the wall. She didn't want to look at Eileen, the soon-to-be-spy, as she plotted how she was going to get out of Hogwarts tomorrow undetected so she could see Harry and his little sister. Darla would find a way— She had to. Otherwise, the month of trust she'd spent building up with Harry would be put in jeopardy and she might not become the friend Lottie would have been to the boy and that he deserved.

* * *

 **A bit of an interlude from Harry and some focus on Severus and Darla. What did you think of their argument?**

 **Thank so much for reading!**


	9. Bad Choices

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

When morning arrived Severus woke them all and explained to Darla's nieces they were to keep an eye on her and not allow her to leave the family's quarters. While Eileen knew why this was, the younger girls didn't and Essie asked, "Why?"

In response, Eileen pinched her. This made the younger girl shout and Severus glare at them both. "It is none of your concern, Esther," Severus said. Then, to Eileen, he told her, "And do not pinch your sister or you'll be getting a grounding next."

Both quailed beneath Severus's scowl and replied, "Yes, Sev."

Darla rolled her eyes. "May we go back to bed now?" she demanded.

"No, sleeping in as you all do is unhealthy. From now on, I will be waking you all before I leave in the morning." He looked over to the kitchen. "I spoke with the house-elves about bringing breakfast in for you lot earlier and, it appears to your fortune, they brought quite the array while I was waking you."

Calliope crawled off of Darla's lap to go and tug at her father's arm. "Is Edie gonna get up with us too in the mornin'?"

Her brother's lips pulled into a grimace. He cupped Calliope's cheek a moment and sighed. "No, not yet. I… I am certain she will soon, however."

Darla wanted to ask him just how "soon" soon actually was, but wasn't keen on lengthening her grounding. The more times she would have to sneak out, the more likely it would become she would get caught. Instead, she bit the inside of her cheek and watched as her brother picked up Calliope to hold her a moment before setting her down and coming over to them to place kisses on the crowns of Eileen and Essie's heads. He hesitated when it came to her. Darla caught his gaze and gave a tiny nod and acquiesced to the same treatment.

No matter how furious she was with Severus Darla would let him give her affection when he wanted. As Lottie had reminded her, death could be sudden and she didn't want to regret not accepting a hug or kiss from her brother just because she was cross with him.

When he finished, he wagged a finger in their faces and ordered, "Behave yourselves. I won't be able to pop in for lunch today, but I will return home by dinnertime today."

As he said this, Darla felt even more confident in the plan she had created last night. She would be back before dinner and Severus would never know she disobeyed him. "Should I wake Edie for lunch?" she inquired.

Severus shook his head. "Take in a plate. I'll coax her out for dinner."

Darla nodded.

With that, Severus left.

When she was certain she and her nieces were all alone, she turned her attention to them and said, "I'm going to leave in an hour. I'll be back before Sev is."

Three perplexed countenances were the response she received. After a round of exchanging glances, Eileen mumbled, "But… Sev just said you weren't to go anywhere."

"Yes, he did."

Calliope, expression solemn, continued, "We hafta tell him if you leave."

She grinned at the trio and prayed her persuasions would have them let her go without any trouble. "You see, that's just not true."

Essie opened and shut her mouth before she finally sputtered, "What?"

Darla brought her nieces close to her and explained, "We don't always have to listen to Sev. Especially when it means we'd be letting someone else down. If I don't leave, I'll be letting down my new friends who are counting on me to show up as I promised I would every Thursday at the start of the summer."

Eileen started to wring her hands. "What if your wrong about when you'll be back and Sev comes home before you do?"

"You can tell him then, I suppose," Darla relented. She didn't want any of her nieces to get in more hot water than they might already by trying to cover for her. It would be bad enough if Severus found out they hadn't alerted him the minute they realized she was missing. "But it's never going to happen, so don't worry about it."

The trio still looked uneasy so Darla decided to sweeten the deal by promising, "If you can do this for me, I'll see about bringing you with some time to meet my new friends. I'm sure you'd like them."

This appeared to win the girls over as the three turned inward on each other and whispered a time before Eileen turned around and said, "Alright. We want a pinky promise too."

She laughed and offered each girl her pinky one by one and made with them the same exact vow to bring them along one time to meet Harry and Gail. When she was done, she embraced all of them and said many profuse words of gratitude before hopping to her feet. There was one place she had to go before she left and Darla was absolutely dreading it.

"Go on and eat breakfast now," Darla coaxed as she pushed her nieces into the kitchen to partake in the assortment the house-elves left for them. The girls went happily, chattering with each other about things of little consequence intermingled with matters of great importance – such as how they were going to keep Essie from slipping up and telling Severus about Darla leaving and her promise to them. She was a terrible secret keeper and they all knew it.

Satisfied they would be fine, Darla turned her attention to Severus and Edie's bedroom. She hovered outside with her hand just above the doorknob. She needed a wand in case something went wrong while she was out, but she really didn't want to see Edie. Since Lottie's funeral, she'd grown wan and frightfully thin. It was scary to look at Edie and realize this was the woman who used to hold her in her arms and kiss her scrapes better when she was small. Swallowing down her fear, Darla opened the door.

Edie's hazel eyes, now almost a dull gray, watched as she went to her bedside table and pulled out her wand. In silence, she watched Darla pocket it. As for Darla, she didn't try to explain or even acknowledge her sister. She doubted she would say anything to Severus later. She didn't speak much at all anymore.

However, as she was to leave, her sister called in a weak, hoarse voice, "Wha're yeh doin'?"

"Going to fix a glass Calliope knocked off the table," she lied.

There was silence for a moment and against her better judgment, Darla waited. Finally, Edie whispered, "I didn' hear nothin' break."

Darla snorted. "Really? You didn't hear anything break back here? What a surprise."

The shifting sound of fabric caused her to turn her head around to look at Edie. Her sister was sitting up, her once brown waves a matted mess hanging limply around her shoulders and her previously almost too small sleep-shirt hanging loosely on her scrawny frame. "Wha' are yeh doin' Darla?"

She glared at the woman. "Just go back to bed, Edie."

For a moment, she thought (hoped) the woman would scold her and get out of bed. As the seconds passed, however, Edie simply sighed and laid back down, pulling the covers over her head as she did so. Darla blinked away the pain of pricking tears and hurried out of the bedroom. Darla should have known no amount of rudeness or blatant odd behavior would stir Edie into action.

If nothing Severus, her husband, her true love, said or did could pull her from bed, what hope did Darla ever have?

-o-O-o-

Harry knew the moment Darcy walked into his house that today would be one of her distant days. She'd smile and laugh and talk to them exactly as she always did, but there'd be a faraway glaze to her eyes and her replies would all come a little slower than typical. It made Harry sad and anxious. He'd stubbornly told himself to not like Darcy when she first started to mind him and Gail because she would leave – just as every other nanny before her did, but his resolve had really weakened in the last couple of weeks.

Darcy made a point of finding things all of them could do together and enjoy when she could and appeared to be truly interested in getting to know Harry and his sister. She also brought them sweets sometimes. A couple of them were ones Harry had never heard of before. He'd particularly liked the sugar feathers (or quills, as Dary called them) and couldn't wait for the day she would tell him where they came from.

He imagined it wouldn't too long. After he'd made Gail's toy ponies fly at her and she hadn't run screaming from his home he knew she wasn't just more stubborn than most of his nannies, but outright different. She'd gone on to prove that not long after when she told him there was magic and he was a wizard and there would be a whole world of wizards, witches, and other magical beings for him to join soon.

Harry thought she may be a little mad, but it did explain things (or at least he liked her story better than he liked the rumors about him being an alien or possessed by a demon). He really hoped Darcy was right about him and that soon really meant soon and not years and years from now like when his parents told him it wouldn't be too long before he was a grown man and that was why he needed to know how to do his own laundry and fix the chain on his bicycle himself when it came off.

If he were honest with himself, Harry didn't just like his minder anymore, he loved her. She was the first person who wasn't family to be so nice to him in a long time. Harry would do anything to keep her close to him now and prayed and prayed every night that she would stay and continue to be his friend after he finished asking God and Jesus to please let his mum live just a little longer. Through the summer at least, and, maybe, if it wouldn't muck up their divine plans too much, until after Christmas.

So far, his prayers appeared to be working as Darcy kept coming back and Mum hadn't yet failed to return home to him and Gail.

Resolving to get Darcy's mind off whatever it was that was bothering her, Harry went to sit on the swing next to her. For a little bit, he just watched as his little sister climbed up the park's slide so she could ride down it again without having to run around to the other side of the structure and use the ladder there to go back down. Digging his trainer into the pebbles beneath his feet for a moment Harry contemplated what to ask.

Harry didn't talk too much with people who weren't Gail, Mum, Dad, or his aunt. He continued to dig his toe into the ground as he slowly came to decide he would ask Darcy what her favorite book was. Mum always loved to talk about books and stories with Harry, and Dad usually liked the topic too. He lifted his head and looked over at his minder.

She was staring at Gail, but he knew she wasn't really seeing her. He cleared his throat. After a moment, Darcy shifted her gaze over to Harry.

"What's your favorite book?" he asked

"I'm not much of a reader, honestly," Darcy admitted. Then, after a brief pause, she told Harry, "But there is this story…."

He perked up, eyes glowing brightly. It was working! He was getting her mind off whatever was bothering her! "What's it about?"

"A witch," she said. Suddenly, words began to pour from her mouth as she continued, "It's quite sad – a tragedy, even."

"Oh, hmm," he murmured in response. Harry didn't really like sad stories these days. He also wasn't sure it would be very helpful to his minder either. Yet… She was offering and she seemed a lot more focused on him and right now than she had been just a minute earlier. Shyly, he urged Darcy, "I would still like to hear it, I think."

She pressed her lips into nothing more than a pink slash while she scrutinized Harry. It appeared to him Darcy was searching Harry for something. What that was exactly he didn't know. Whatever it was, she appeared to find it when, finally, she sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He smiled as if he'd won some sort of game. He wouldn't for long, however, he would find out soon enough. "I won't," Harry promised.

She took a deep breath.

"There was a witch. She was ten-years-old and strong. Her father was a potions master, her mother's heart was a well of infinite love, and she had three sisters who were all as different as snowflakes. She had an aunt too. Her aunt was like a big sister to her and they both liked to fly on brooms. One day, the witch's aunt was in a foul mood and came to her brother's home for her broom to go solo flying. The witch was there and decided she wouldn't let her, however. The day was too nice for someone to ride alone. So, she followed her aunt.

"At first, her aunt tried to ditch her. She flew this way and that way. She rode low and then high. Zagged and then zipped. All the while, the witch kept up. She was not just strong, but a prodigy on the broom. Eventually, her aunt gave up on trying to get away and instead began to challenge the witch to races and showed-off the tricks she knew to her. The witch tried to one-up her aunt's stunts. Sometimes she did, but mostly she didn't. Her aunt had been flying quite a bit longer than she.

"The witch was undeterred and continued to perform for her aunt. Unfortunately, even prodigies can make mistakes. Unlike the many, many mistakes the witch made in the past, though, this one would be her last. While doing a barrel-role on her broom, she forgot to properly tuck in her shoulders and she spiraled out of control. That was when the witch fell off her broom. The aunt nose-dived and tried to catch the witch, but she had to pull back just as she was going to grab the witch's hand because if she didn't, _she_ would have run into the ground.

"As the aunt flew up, the witch hit the ground. The aunt then flew down to the witch's side and tried to help her, but it was too late. The witch was dead; her eyes stared up at the perfect day's sky, but did not see it at all," Darcy concluded, voice cracking.

After a long, drawn-out silence, Harry asked, "…What's the lesson?"

She frowned. "Lesson?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "lots of stories have lessons." Especially tragedies. There were reasons someone had to die for, such as to teach the hero the value of life or the person who passed or, if they were a bad guy, to pay for what they did.

"This one doesn't," Darcy told him.

"It has to!" argued Harry. "A sad story like that…" he trailed off, lip wobbling. People weren't supposed to die for nothing. That wasn't right! "There has to be a reason the witch died instead of her aunt catching her in time!"

Darla's face tightened with annoyance, maybe even a little anger. It made Harry shrink in on himself. He knew he shouldn't have argued with her when she wasn't in a good mood about a story he insisted she tell him. "There isn't, alright? I would know. It's my story!" she snapped.

Never one to take a cross tone lying down, Harry got to his feet and shouted back, "Well, I think it should! Like you have to be careful when you're doing something new."

"That's stupid!" she yelled at him. "The only lesson there could possibly be in it is everyone dies. Even little girls!"

Tears welled up in his eyes and blurred his vision. "Okay," he whispered, cowed by her vicious tone.

In spite of his blurry gaze, he saw Darcy bite her lip. She looked horribly guilty. His minder pulled him against her side and began to run her hand up and down his arm. "It's okay," she soothed. "It's alright…" she fell quiet a moment, then, she asked, "How would you like to hear a happy story? Would that make you feel better?"

Harry pushed up his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. "No, thank you. I don't want to listen to any more stories today," he said as he pulled away from her.

"Oh, a-alright," Darla stuttered. He felt her eyes on him as he trotted over to the play equipment to duck beneath it and hide for a bit. As he sat down under the cover of a fraying rope climbing net Harry miserably thought to himself he never should have agreed to hear her story once he found out it was a tragedy. It was not just the characters in the story that were unhappy when it was over.

* * *

 **And we've gotten a little bit of Harry's POV! Thoughts? Liked it? Didn't like it? What did you think of Edie and Darla's interaction? We haven't seen too much of them together lately.**

 **Thank you guys a million for reading!**


	10. A New Scheme

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

The only sound at dinner was the occasional scratch of a fork on someone's plate up until Darla was a brussel sprout away from being finished with her meal. At that point, Edie cleared her throat, drawing all of their gazes to her. It had been so very long since she made any kind of noise in their presence and it was enough to catch their attention when before she used to have to shoot off sparks from her wand if she wanted to be heard over Lottie and Essie's bickering, Calliope's humming, Eileen's questions, and Severus's answers, and Darla's laughter at them all.

"I would like me wand back, Darla," she said while staring straight at her.

Darla forced herself to not look at her brother as she pulled Edie's wand from her robe pocket. She held it out for the woman to take. "Of course," she replied as her sister took it from her.

"Why did you have Edie's wand?" demanded Severus.

Coolly, she turned her gaze to her brother. "Essie knocked a glass off the table at breakfast this morning. I needed it to clean up the mess and fix it."

Suspicion and displeasure began to darken his already black eyes into depthless holes of darkness. "Is that so," he said.

"Yes."

He narrowed his gaze and said, "Was there something the matter with the house-elves?"

Darla frowned, confused and more than a little apprehensive. "What?"

"Why did you not call for a house-elf?"

She managed to dig up enough courage to roll her eyes at her brother and act as if he was the one being ridiculous. "You're the one who tells us to be independent and do things for ourselves! I simply did as you have taught us to!"

Severus looked little appeased by the answer, but not nearly as angry as he did a moment ago. "What compelled you to keep the wand after the mess was cleaned?" he asked.

Darla shrugged. "I didn't mean to. I just forgot; I'm used to carrying my wand on me," she replied.

Her brother's brows furrowed, but he said nothing and instead cast his gaze out onto her nieces. Calliope kept her attention on her food while Eileen nodded at Severus. Only Essie gave away any indication what Darla said wasn't the full truth when she began to fidget in her seat after Darla's brother passed his gaze over her.

"Very well," Severus said. He still didn't appear as if he entirely believed Darla's story, but he also didn't have enough evidence to prove otherwise since none of the girls were talking or giving an undeniable indication that Darla was lying. "I expect for you to call a house-elf the next time an accident happens. When I took your wand, I meant for you to have no wand."

She exhaled in a way that she hoped sounded aggravated and disappointed rather than relieved. "Yes, Sev."

-o-O-o-

When Severus laid down beside her in bed, Edie shifted onto her side and propped her head on her hand. Severus turned his face toward her and quirked an eyebrow at her. Edie said, "She was lyin' ter yeh."

He sighed. "Perhaps."

Edie reached over and laid her free hand on her husband's cheek. Her voice firm, she insisted, "Darla was."

Severus pulled away from her. Frowning, he demanded, "How do you know? Did you leave the room to check on the girls at any point during the day?"

"No, but—"

He bared his teeth at her in a far from kind way. "Then I shall take Darla at her word."

"Sev," she whispered, hurt.

In response, Severus showed her his back. "Even if Darla is lying and acting up, it is only because you haven't been a proper parent to her in _months_."

Edie burrowed into her pillow and began to weep in silence.

-o-O-o-

After another day of nannying the Cross children and another brick of friendship built with Harry, Darla chose to linger once Mrs. Cross and Mrs. Hershel returned. She helped them put away the groceries they picked up from the market and put on the kettle for them so that Harry and Gail could spend a moment with their mother. As she pulled the tea from the cupboard, Darla glanced out of the corner of her eye at Mrs. Cross and the children. It was clear she loved the two with all of her with how closely she held Harry to her and in the way she ran her fingers through his thick head of hair while continuously bobbing her chin along to Gail's breathless chatter.

In spite of the life and light her children brought to her countenance, Mrs. Cross looked worse than she had the day before last, than she did last week, a month ago, at the start of the summer. Darla suspected, and it would explain the tension in the room, that Mrs. Cross was not getting better. If that were, in fact, true, it meant she was dying. Darla had never watched anyone languish before. Her experience with death was in the form of sudden demises. She wondered if it was better or worse to watch someone die slowly. It must be painful to watch someone bit by bit become less of themselves as their life escaped them a little more each day, but she also couldn't help but muse perhaps it wasn't all so bad as you knew to treat each moment with them as precious. Slow or sudden, death was still death, in the end, Darla understood.

A loved one was still lost and your life changed forever after.

Darla was drawn from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Mrs. Hershel staring at her with warm regard. "Care to stay for a cuppa today?" she asked.

Usually, Darla would turn down the offer. She had to be home in time for dinner, but, today, she'd prepared. Before she left in the morning she informed Severus she would be having dinner at the Bones's home and then wrote Stephen so he knew about her fib in case it came up in the next couple of weeks when they all went back-to-school shopping together. With the knowledge that she had all the time in the world, she agreed to Mrs. Hershel's offer.

Shortly thereafter they all sat down to drink their tea and made pleasant conversation about the weather and the day's activities. After the tea and plate of sandwiches Mrs. Hershel made were gone, Harry and Gail left to return to their activities before their mother and aunt came home. Seeing the opportunity before her, Darla asked, "Would it be alright if I brought my nieces by on one of my days to play with the children?" She paused as she prepared herself to use the fake names she made up for her nieces. "Ellen and Emmie are just about Harry and Gail's age. I know they'd get on smashingly. Calla's a wee one, but she's quite used to playing with older children and will be just fine."

The sisters exchanged a look. "That… might not… be a very good idea, Darcy…" Mrs. Hershel stammered.

Darla squared her shoulders and did her best to imbued her voice with confidence as she told them, "I haven't run screaming from the children yet. I reckon there's nothing that could at this point." She grinned. "I hope I don't sound too much like a braggart, but I'm rather unflappable— And so are my nieces."

This drew a chuckle from the women. Mrs. Cross then reached across the table to place her bony hand atop Darla's. "I am sure your nieces are as delightful as you are, Darcy. However, it's more for Harry's sake we hesitate. In the past few years, interactions with other children have rarely gone well and we'd hate to put him through more pain than we have to when times are what they are."

She nodded. "I understand." Darla licked her lips and chose her words carefully. "Harry and I have talked about him and the other children here in Sudley. When we go to the park…" She shook her head. "It makes me so sad. I want to bring the girls by for his benefit so he can see he can make friends with children his own age." She wondered a moment if she was about to reveal too much, but, in the end, couldn't help herself. In the vaguest way she knew how, she continued, "It will be good practice for when he meets new children who haven't known him for the past ten years of his life."

Mrs. Hershel appeared as if she wished to argue a little more, but Mrs. Cross's illness-dulled eyes sparked. For a moment, Darla feared she was found out. Her fears were quickly alleviated, however, when she said, "You're right. It will be good preparation for the coming years and the new children he'll meet in secondary school."

"Lynne…"

The woman waved off her sister. "Darcy is right. How else is Harry going to learn?"

Mrs. Cross's sister sighed with defeat. "Perhaps I can have Connor and Camden pop by to help supervise…"

"We'll be quite alright, Mrs. Hershel," Darcy promised. "I'm rather used to watching over four children at once. I imagine five won't be too different."

"Four?" Mrs. Cross echoed, lips parted with confusion. "I thought you had three nieces?"

Darla's smile stayed stubbornly affixed on her face. "One of my nieces passed rather recently in an accident."

"Oh my, my condolences," Mrs. Hershel gasped.

She wanted to cry, but she pushed the urge away and nodded her head. "Thank you."

After, there were a few more minutes of shoptalk and assurance on Darla's part that all would be well before Mrs. Cross agreed to let her nieces visit next week. Once done, she thanked them both once more before leaving. As she walked the now familiar streets to her destination for magical travel, Darla felt particularly drained, but also very victorious.

It was an odd combination, but a pleasant one, she decided.

-O-

Upon returning home, she ushered all of her nieces into her room under the pretense of a nail varnish party. Severus smiled at her as she swung Calliope up on her back to carry her into her and Eileen's bedroom, but, Edie, who was sitting on the sofa in the drawing-room for the first time in weeks, looked at her with suspicion. Darla ignored it and her. She was too joyful from her earlier success and too tired from the fight for it to care why her sister was side-eyeing her.

Once she had the girls settled on either her bed or Eileen's, she pulled out her collection of varnishes and let them pick. As was typical of them, Eileen picked a purple that morphed into a yellow hue when touched by sunlight, Essie insisted on a sparkling red and lurid orange she wanted to alternate her nails with, and Calliope wanted a bright pink that smelled like icing. As for Darla, she chose to do a layer of black followed by a layer of dark green that would crackle to show the first shade beneath.

For a moment, they speculated about what Lottie would have chosen. They agreed she would have picked gold after some minor debate. It was then Eileen suggested they all paint one nail gold for Lottie and, readily, all of Darla's nieces agreed. Darla wasn't so sure she wanted the constant reminder on her finger, but she was afraid if she refused her nieces would ask her why. If that happened, she would have to try and explain the enormous amount of guilt, regret, and sadness she felt about Lottie's demise to them. She didn't feel prepared to do that right now – if ever – lest they end up agreeing with her that it was her fault that Lottie had died.

She wasn't sure she'd be able to bear them blaming her as she blamed herself (even if she would deserve it).

As they finished up their little party, Darla said, "I talked to my new friends today about meeting you."

"What did they say?" Essie asked while her sisters watched Darla with interest.

She grinned at her nieces. "They said yes!" she proclaimed. "Now, there's just one big thing you'll all have to do that might seem a bit strange."

"What's that?" Calliope inquired, leaning forward.

Darla slowly looked from one girl to the next. Then, she told them, "You'll all have to go by code names."

Eileen puckered her lip and demanded, "Why?"

"You'll see when I take you," Darla said, evading the question. She wasn't sure how to explain the sensitiveness of the situation Darla had put herself in or why such precautions were a necessity. She did, however, believe Eileen would understand everything she was doing the moment she met Harry and realized he was _Harry Potter_.

Her oldest niece glared at her and opened her mouth as if she was going to say something snide and accusing, but, before she could, Calliope bounced in between them and asked, "Do we get to pick our names? I wanna be Honey!"

She laughed at the girl's suggestion. "Sorry, Calliope, the names are already picked." Reaching out to take the little girl onto her lap, she explained, "I picked ones close to your names so it would be easy for you to remember and respond to them." She tapped the girl's nose and told her, "Your name is Calla."

"That's pretty!" delightedly exclaimed her youngest niece. "Can I be called it all the time an' not just when we meet your new friends?"

It was a lot of work for Darla to hold her smile in place as she replied, "We'll see. For now, however, it will just be when you meet my friends next week."

Calliope sighed. "Okay…"

"What's my name?" Essie demanded as she scooted in closer to the two of them.

Darla replied, "It's Emmie."

"That is really close to Essie," she remarked thoughtfully. "I can remember that."

Darla beamed at the girl. "Aces, Essie. Thank you." She looked at Eileen. "Would you like to know your name now?"

Eileen's expression was displeased and wary, but she agreed, "Please."

"You'll be Ellen."

"Ellen," she repeated in a measured tone. "I suppose it will do," she said.

She snorted. "I'm glad you approve," she returned, tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now that you know your names, there are a few other small things I need to go over with you…"

* * *

 **How did you all enjoy the chapter? Your favorite part? Least?**

 **Thanks a ton for reading!**


	11. (Im)Perfect Execution

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

The sky above was full of wispy clouds and it was the hottest it had been all summer at just shy of 29 degrees. Darla was more excited than she was nervous for the Cross children and her nieces to meet and held high hopes for the fun they could all have at the park together. There was enough of them she thought a game of footie would be feasible.

Darla felt confident Harry would be over the moon about that one. She'd seen the way he watched the scrimmages of the Sudley children over the course of the summer and thought he would have quite a lot of fun finally getting to play a game with others. As for her nieces, Darla believed they'd love the novelty of playing a Muggle sport and enjoy kicking around the ball – Calliope especially. She adored physical games, tag, swimming, jump rope… Darla expected she would have an active profession when she was grown, like being a Quidditch player.

She smiled down at the little girl's blonde head and gave their linked hands a playful swing. Calliope looked up at her with her adoring honey-brown gaze. Darla had always insisted she had no favorites among her nieces; which, mostly, was true. Yet she couldn't deny she had a soft for Calliope who treated everything Darla told her and gave her with reverence. She smiled at the girl a moment before she glanced at the backs of Eileen and Essie's dark heads. The two were keeping up a running commentary on the Muggle street and the activities happening on it. They were particularly fascinated by the man they saw up ahead using some tube-like contraption to water his grass.

Darla cleared her throat, which, as she hoped, drew the pair's gazes to her. Keeping her tone light and chipper she said, "Let's go over it one more time." She pointed at Eileen. "What's your name?"

The girl said, "Ellen."

She jutted her chin at Essie. "And you?"

"Emmie!" Essie half-shouted in a tone of pure exasperation. "I _promise_ I'm not goin' to forget!"

Darla shushed her and reassured, "I know you won't. We're just practicing for everyone's sake."

Essie looked little appeased, but Darla didn't pay her anymore heed as she turned her attention to Calliope. "And what about you, hm? What's your name?"

"Calla!" proudly proclaimed Calliope.

Darla beamed at all of them. "Brilliant!" she praised. She stepped forward and laid her free hand on Eileen's shoulder. "Do you see the house over there with the green door and the white rose bushes? That's where my friends live." Increasing her and Calliope's pace, she all but marched the four of them up to the Cross's home.

Giving her nieces all one last reassuring smile, she knocked on the door. A moment later, Gail opened it. The little girl gave a very good impression of a fish out of water with the amount of gaping she did at the sight of them. Darla laughed and said, "Surprise!"

Gail giggled and stepped aside, letting them all into her home. Once inside, Darla glanced around. "Is your aunt around?"

"Just left," the little girl replied. "She reckoned we would be okay since you were coming soon."

She nodded and inquired, "And where's Harry?"

"He's in the–"

"–Right here," Harry cut in, coming out of the kitchen. He blinked at the sight of all of Darla's nieces. "Um, 'lo?" he greeted before he ran a nervous hand through his fringe, flashing at all of them the scar beneath.

Calliope squealed as Eileen and Essie gasped. Darla shushed them all and gave the Cross children an apologetic look before she brought her nieces into a huddle around her. "Don't make a fuss," she hissed at all of them. "He doesn't know he's famous in our world. Treat him as you would any other boy at Hogwarts. He's very ordinary, all things considered."

The girls don't appear exactly happy with this command, but bobbed their heads nonetheless. Darla was suddenly very aware how carefully she was going to have to watch her nieces and felt both daunted and preemptively exhausted. She hoped this didn't turn into the horror-show her mind's eye was now conjuring for her. Letting the girls all go, she introduced them one by one to Gail and Harry.

Gail was bouncing by the end of it and Harry looked extremely uneasy. She winked at him. "They're like me, Harry. Nothing's going to scare them."

"'Cept for dogs," Essie objected. She glanced around nervously. "I don't like dogs."

"We don't have one," Gail assured her niece. "And I'll make sure none come over to us if we go outside."

Essie smiled tentatively at the girl and Darla was relieved to things were going alright. Eileen stepped away and offered her hand to Harry. "How do you do?"

He blinked at her, seemingly miffed at the younger's formality. "Um, fine," he answered taking her hand to shake it. "Are you a," he lowered his voice to the point Darla had to strain her ears to hear him, "witch like Darcy?"

Eileen nodded. "Uh-huh, me an' all my sisters are."

Harry relaxed at this and Darla's heart panged at how badly scarred Harry was by his interactions with Muggle children to show physical relief when he heard Eileen was a witch as he was a wizard. Darla let the four get acquainted for a moment and walked Calliope around the drawing room, showing her things that would interest her. Such as the telly, the Muggle wireless that played little music boxes called cassettes, and Gail's collection of ponies. That was the clear winner as Calliope immediately went to grab one before she pulled her hand back.

Darla looked behind her and called to the Cross girl, "Gail, would it be alright if Calla played with a few of your ponies?"

She nodded. "We can all play with them!" she proclaimed. The girl grabbed Essie's hand. "Let's go play with them, Emmie!" Gail glanced at her brother and Eileen. "Will you be playing with us, Harry? Ellen?"

The boy shook his head. "No, we're not. Ellen's never read any Batman or X-Men comics; I'm going to show them to her."

Gail accepted the answer easily enough and as the four of them settled around the desk to play with her ponies, Harry and Eileen sat down on the couch beside each other and fell into an easy discussion about whatever Batman and X-Men were. From the snatches she was catching they were Muggle vigilantes; the X-Men reminded her a bit of the Order of the Phoenix as both fought for a people looked down upon in their societies.

As time wore on, Darla slowly went from being on edge to leery, but comfortable. The children were all getting on and that had been the goal. After a lunch of takeaway, like she had wanted to, they went to the park and played a relaxed game of footie. As she had predicted, Calliope and Harry had the most fun with it. Harry showed Darla's littlest niece how to bounce the ball on her knees and the games went well with the exception of a couple of minor squabbles between Eileen and Essie about what constituted a "penalty". And the one time Essie slipped up and called her Darla instead of Darcy, however, not one of the children noticed as they were all having too much fun playing with each other.

When it came time to head back to the Cross house, all of them were begging to play just another minute. Eventually, Darla did have to put her foot down as she didn't want to have Mrs. Cross and Mrs. Hershel walk into an empty house. The thought of panicking such an ill woman made her cringe. Once in the house, she settled them all in the kitchen with tea and went to pick up the drawing room. As she was in the midst of cleaning, in walked Mrs. Hershel and Mrs. Cross.

Mrs. Cross looked very tired and immediately took a seat on the sofa after she said hello to Darla. The children, so absorbed in their chatter, had yet to notice the sisters were home. Mrs. Hershel's lips twitched with a smile in spite of the strained set of her eyes. "Suppose that's for the best," she said. "Darcy, can I speak to you a moment?"

She nodded, confused and a little more than worried. "Of course."

The two of them stepped outside. Once Darcy closed the front door, Mrs. Hershel crossed her arms and asked, "I'm sorry to spring this on you, but can you watch the children tomorrow? We've had a bit of good luck and Lynne's operation has been bumped up to tomorrow. We hope it will… If all goes accordingly, my sister will get to see this Christmas come and go. However, there is a risk it won't go well and if, God forbid, that happens, we, myself, Lynne, and Raymond, all agree we'd like you here for the children when we ring home.

"Anyone with eyes can see Harry and Gail just adore you and it'd be of great comfort to us all to know you'd be here to soothe them until we can come home to them after the operation or bring them to hospital to see their mother."

Darla was touched and had to take a moment to find her voice around the little lump in her throat. "Of course," she answered. "I can move things around and be here for the children."

Mrs. Hershel laid a kind hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Darcy. You don't know how much that means to us."

"It's no trouble," she reassured, smiling at the woman.

Abruptly, Harry's aunt began to weep. "How lucky we are to have found you!" she hiccuped. "Oh, you're a Godsend…"

As uncomfortable as the grown woman's tears made her, Darla didn't let it stop her from comforting Mrs. Hershel. Gently, she patted her arm and soothed, "It's alright, it's fine…"

When Mrs. Hershel had her tears under control and Darla was certain she was okay, they stepped back inside to find the children surrounding Mrs. Cross, who was grinning at them all with such a glow of happiness around her that they just watched for a bit. It was both soothing and depressing to realize this may be the last time the ill woman would be so joyful. Every now and then, Darla glanced at the clock and when it became obvious they had to go lest they risk her brother's wrath by showing up late for dinner, she called to her nieces and had them gather their things and exchanged a round of farewells with the Crosses and Mrs. Hershel before she ushered the girls out.

Once on the street, Eileen asked, "Can we see Harry again soon?"

"Perhaps," she replied. If Mrs. Cross's operation went well, she imagined they could visit at least once more this summer before Harry got his Hogwarts letter.

Essie popped up on her other side. "I really liked him!"

She grinned. "I hope you told him that."

"I did!"

Darla barked a laugh. She then whirled around and met all of the girl's gazes. "Now, remember, we mustn't say anything to Sev or Edie or anyone about meeting Harry. If you do, there will be no chance you will get to see him again before he comes to Hogwarts."

"Yes, Darla," they chorused with varying degrees of seriousness. She knew she'd have to watch them closely in the next couple of weeks, but she was quite confident they'd keep their lips sealed as it meant they wouldn't get to play with Harry again before he came to Hogwarts if they didn't.

-o-O-o-

Severus had little reason to be in his sister and daughter's bedroom. It was a feeling (or, rather, the girls rabbiting to one another all through last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast) that had driven him in to take a cursory look-through it. He scrutinized the shelf holding a few of Darla's old toys. Severus lifted a hand to touch the face of his sister's old doll. She used to take it everywhere with her and mother it as if it was one of her nieces right beside him and Edie.

It had been endearing and, sometimes, he wished he could go back to that time. He was happiest then; when he was a new father, rekindling a friendship with Lily, and preparing to become a supervisor to Mr. Mulpepper's Knockturn apothecary. Of course, Severus knew doing such a thing would be ill-advised and he was best off setting his eyes on the future. Happiness would be achieved again, it would only take time.

Moving on from the shelf, he furrowed his brows when he saw a corner of what appeared to be a book peaking out beneath Eileen's pillow. Lifting it, he revealed what appeared to be a Muggle comic book called _X-Men_. Bewildered, Severus picked it up. Where in Merlin's name could his daughter have gotten this? The only time they had all been to the Muggle world lately was to see that horse film.

Cracking it open, he felt his stomach drop when he saw the name inscribed inside:

 _Property of: Harry Cross_

He closed his eyes. What mess of her creation had his little sister dragged her nieces into?

* * *

 **Things are about to unravel! What do you all think? Are you excited? Anxious?**

 **Thanks a million guys for reading!**


	12. Truth Comes In

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

Severus put the comic book down and walked out of Darla and Eileen's room. He passed his daughters playing a pickup sticks in the front room of his quarters and went straight into his and Edie's bedroom. Softly, he closed the door behind him. Edie didn't shift even a centimeter at the click. Severus swallowed his guilt and murmured, "You were right."

Edie lifted her head just enough to peer at him over her shoulder. "Wha'?"

"Darla," he said. "You were right Darla was lying."

She stared at him before she whispered, "…I'm sorry."

Striding forward, he ripped the duvet off his wife and demanded, "Will you rise out of that infernal bed?" Throwing the covers to the floor, he told her, "I need your assistance with the girls. You are by far the best at persuading them to speak."

Stricken, she stammered, "I don'–"

"Edie," he hissed between deep breaths, "Darla's been visiting Harry. I need your help."

She sat up. "Lemme dress. I'll be ou' in a mo'."

He nodded and took a step back. Relieved that his ever dimming belief should a horrendous enough crisis occur Edie would put away her grief to deal with it had proved true. Hand on the doorknob, he watched with evergrowing pride as Edie stripped out of her sleep-gown and pulled from their shared armoire a skirt and blouse to dress in followed by a pair of stockings. Severus was going to open the door once she had finished dressing, however, he stopped when he saw her go to her vanity and pick up a brush.

Severus leaned against the door's steady wood and watched as the crown of tangles surrounding Edie's head slowly became the familiar brown waves he adored running his fingers through, and when her fingers began to weave her hair into a pristine plait, Severus grinned. When she finished with her hair, Edie stared at her reflection just a moment to nod at it before she turned around to meet him at the door.

"Wha' yeh waitin' fer?" she asked.

He reached out to draw her into his arms and simply hold her. "I missed you," he whispered into her ear.

Edie's arms rose to wrap around his neck. "An' I yeh," she murmured before placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

At that moment, Severus wanted to do so much more than just hold his wife, but he knew now (regrettably) was not the time. They had a wayward girl to deal with. Reaching behind him, he opened the door to their bedroom, forcing them out.

-O-

"C'mon my swee's," Edie wheedled, "none yeh are gonna be much in trouble if yeh would jus' answer our ques'ions."

Eileen and Essie exchanged uneasy looks while Calliope crossed her tiny arms, a stubborn pout settling on her small face. Edie didn't hold much hope her baby would say anything against her aunt, but Eileen and Essie were of a more reasonable mindset – Eileen especially – and Essie had never been very good at staying her tongue.

In spite of her promise, the girls were staring back at her with reluctance. Edie had a fair idea why as a whisp of air fluttered a loose strand of hair against the nape of her neck. Severus's pacing and glaring had a way of making naughty children clam right up, their own especially. Edie turned her head to glower at her husband. "Si' down, Sev'rus."

"I beg your pardon?"

She pointed at the chair. "Yeh'll si' down if yeh know wha's wha'!"

He scoffed at her before he heeded her command and threw himself into the chair. Edie didn't mind, her goal was accomplished, her husband was scowling at her now, not the girls. Shifting so that Severus was effectively hidden by the entirety of her body, she asked once more, "How much do yeh know abou' Darla an' Harry?"

Eileen chewed on the tip of her thumb a moment. "Not… We know very little. She's been seein' him all summer, I think. She's workin' as a nanny to him an' his little sister. Darla's told him a bit about magic an' stuff, but nothin' about him being famous."

She let out a small sigh of relief. That was something. Perhaps not good news, but not awful either. "Anythin' else?" she prodded.

"His mum is really sick," Essie told them. "But the Muggle healers might make her better til Christmas today an' that's why Darla's gone right now."

Edie nodded. "Every time Darla said she was goin' ter see classmates, the Mulpeppers… She was lyin'?"

"No!" Calliope denied. "Not _always_."

"Close enough, I reckon," Essie muttered, earning a punch from her little sister. "Oi!"

She reached forward and gave her youngest a sharp rap across the forehead. "No hittin' yehr sisters!"

Calliope pushed Edie away from her with surprising force. " Get 'way from me! I don't hafta listen to you! You 'cided you liked your bloody room better'n us!"

"Calliope!" hissed Eileen, drawing her sister close and covering her mouth. "Don't say that to Edie!"

Her little daughter ripped herself away from her sister and got to her feet. "Why not?" she yelled. "It's true! Edie hasn't talked to us in 'ever an' now she only wants to know 'bout Darla so she can get her in trouble with Sev! Darla's been a better Mummy'n Edie an' it's naughty you're tellin' on her!" Calliope leaped at her sisters and began to beat them with her small fist. "I'll tell on you to Darla, you– you– _dunderheads_!"

Edie crumpled into a heap as she realized how badly she cocked things up with her baby. Eileen and Essie were older and understood grief and mourning a little better, but she had no doubts they felt just as abandoned as their little sister. They were simply better at hiding their feelings. It was no wonder they'd been so loyally keeping secrets for Darla up until they were found out. Calliope was right, Darla _had_ been a better mother to them all summer than she.

"That is enough!" bellowed Severus before he wrenched their youngest off her sisters. He swatted her once before he shoved her toward the corner of the room. "You are to stand in the corner until I say otherwise," he growled.

Sniffling, Calliope went with no argument.

Out of the corner of her eye, Edie watched her baby weep quiet tears into her hands. She ached to reach for her and soothe her, but knew it would do little to help the situation they had all found themselves in. Edie needed to pay attention to what Severus was saying to their older girls.

"She is at the Crosses right now?" he was asking.

Essie huffed. "I said she was, didn't I?"

"None of that cheek now, or you'll be joining Calliope," he hissed.

The nine-year-old deflated where she sat and gave a miserable nod. "Yes, Sev."

"For how long will she be gone?"

"We don't know," Eileen whispered.

He scowled at them. "Oh?"

"Yes, Sev," said Eileen as she brought her thumb to her lip. "I promise we don't know," she mumbled around her nail.

Edie reached up to place a hand on her husband's arm. "Sev'rus," she pleaded.

He looked at her. "I'll go retrieve Darla," he told her. "Will you be able to manage or shall I call for a House Elf?"

Indignation bloomed hot and fierce beneath Edie's breast. "I'll be fine – as always."

Severus's eyes flashed and he appeared as if he was going to bark something at her, but at the last second, his expression turned weary and he covered her hand with his own. "Of course," he murmured. "I will be back as soon as I can be."

"Choose yehr words with care, love," she advised.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I will try."

-o-O-o-

Darla had expected the Cross children would be subdued during her visit, but she hadn't expected for Gail to be so weepy or for Harry to look just on the edge of tears himself. Thankfully, earlier tragedies had taught her how to deal with sad, scared children. Darla had them all sit down on the lounge's room sofa and read them one of Harry's books to get their minds off Mrs. Cross's operation.

It worked fairly well at stopping their tears and, slowly, they relaxed. By the time she was halfway through _Prince Caspian_ Gail was only wiping her nose on occasion and Harry's eyes were no longer glossy. At one point, the little girl put her hand over the page Darla was reading from and asked, "Do you think Mummy is going to be okay?"

She opened her mouth only to close it again a moment later. What she said would be permanently seared in this little girl's memories no matter the outcome of her mother's operation. Her words had to be perfect or they might very well leave everlasting damage and a gut-wrenching feeling of betrayal whenever Gail thought back on Darla.

Darla clasped Gail's between her own and offered the child a soft smile. "I think she and her healers are doing everything to make sure she will be. If… If she isn't, it won't be because of any reason than other sometimes–"

"–people die," Harry whispered. "Even Mums with a little girl and boy who love her."

She looked at him, surprised. His words brought back the sun and the anger from that day in the park when Harry asked Darla for a story. She hadn't thought he'd take her words to heart, but he had. Darla didn't know exactly how she felt about it, but the feeling wasn't all bad nor was it all good. She brought one of her hands over to rest on Harry's leg as she used the other to keep her hold on Gail's hand.

"That's right," she croaked. "People die and, from time to time, there just isn't anything that we can do about it."

"Like the aunt in your story about the little witch," Harry said. "She tried really hard to save the witch, but the witch fell too fast for her to help her."

Darla stiffened. "That's not quite true. If the aunt had been quicker or paying closer attention to the witch–"

"No, she couldn't have done more," Harry disagreed. "The witch made a mistake and it was out of the aunt's hand from right then."

She shook her head. The boy didn't know what he was talking about; Darla could have done more – _should_ have. If it had meant she died alongside Lottie? So be it. At least that meant she had put her all into saving her niece. "That's not true," she denied.

"Lemme hear the story, then we can have a vote," proclaimed Gail, leaning in closer to be a part of their discussion.

That sounded like a horrible idea to her. The children didn't need to hear a tragedy while their mother's life was hanging in the balance of a healer's hands. Nor should they be debating how much – if any – of the fault of Lottie's death lay on Darla's shoulder. She didn't need them to; she knew exactly how much of it did (and it was all). "I don't–" Darla began, only to be cut off by Harry who told it nearly word-for-word the way she told him.

She fell silent in wonderment. She was surprised by how perfect his recollection was and wondered if he didn't have some kind of special memory; like Professor Vector's sister, who had an eidetic memory. By the time she managed to get over her shock, Harry had finished telling the tale and Gail was curling and uncurling her toes around the sofa's cushion with thought.

Finally, the child declared, "The aunt did all she could by trying to save her. If she hadn't flown up her family would have been very gutted since they lost them both and not just the witch."

Darla tried to speak, but no words came out. Both the Cross children thought she had done all she could to save Lottie. She had never looked at it that way nor had anyone put it such words for her before. All they ever said it wasn't her fault. Not once had they told her why it couldn't be. It was only now, someone was finally telling her why she held no blame for her niece's death. Darla _had_ done everything in her power to save Lottie. She tried, and, sometimes, that was all you could do – as both the Cross children knew all too well.

After all, the Muggle healers were trying to do the same for Mrs. Cross.

Darla was shaken from her epiphany by a knock at the door.

She shared a look with the children, who shrugged at her. Neither one had any idea who it might be out there. Darla sighed. It was probably a salesman. "I'll go get it," she told them. Then, Darla winked at the pair in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Why don't you pick out a film, hm? After I answer the door I'll make us some popcorn to go with it."

Harry and Gail eagerly went to their bookcase of films to choose one for their viewing.

Going to the door, she almost wanted to shout at them to have a bit more patience when they gave the wood another sharp rap. However, she didn't as this wasn't her home and it was quite a rude thing to do (even more than knocking incessantly). Swinging open the door, the hello on her lips died when she saw the man on the other side.

"Sev?"

* * *

 **Thoughts? We're just shy of the climax! How did you like the Edie scene? Severus? Darla with the Cross kids?**

 **Thanks guys so much for reading!**


	13. Caught

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

"Darla," he returned, voice deceptively calm when paired with the blazing fury in his gaze.

She linked her trembling hands behind her back and whispered, "How…?"

"Eileen did not hide the book she is borrowing from Harry as well as she ought to have," he replied as he pushed his way into the home. He turned in a tight circle and took in the Cross home, pausing a moment to stare at Harry and Gail. They stared back with wide, surprised eyes. Darla cringed internally, this was not how things were supposed to go. She had hoped to make this all a fun little secret between the Cross children, her nieces, and herself they would all laugh about when they were adults. When Severus finished taking in the home, Harry, and Gail, he gave a small, almost satisfied, nod to himself before he returned his attention to Darla. "Is it just you and the children currently?"

"Yes," she answered.

He glanced at the doorway leading to the kitchen. "You and I need to have a talk," he said. "Then I would like to have one with you, Mr. Cross, if you are agreeable."

The boy just stared at Darla's brother, slacked-jaw.

Severus cleared his throat impatiently. "Well?" he demanded.

Harry shrunk in on himself a bit. "Sure, Mr. …?"

"Snape."

In response to the name, Harry's eyes flashed with recognition as he scrambled to his feet. "You're the friend of my first mum who helped Mum and Dad adopt me."

Darla looked at her brother, he appeared a bit taken aback at being a part of Harry's adoption story. He recovered quickly, however, as he offered Harry a small, closed-lip smile. "Yes, that's right," he said.

"Are you a wizard too?" Harry inquired hopefully.

Her brother glared at Darla. She winced and knew she was going to be in for the lecture and punishment of a lifetime when they returned home later. In spite of how vexed she knew him to be, Severus kept his voice cool as he replied, "I am."

The boy grinned with delight. "Can you show me some magic? Darcy says she can't do any for us 'cause she's not of age."

"Later perhaps," he answered while he put a hand on Darla's shoulder. "I must speak to my sister a moment."

Harry nodded. "Okay," he replied. "Should we start the film without you, Darcy?"

She smiled. "It's probably for the best you do," she told him.

He knelt back down next to his sister then to continue looking for a film with her. When he did, he heard Gail whisper, "Are we not getting popcorn anymore?"

Darla rolled her eyes. "I will make us some while I talk with my brother," she replied.

Gail startled at having been overheard, but giggled when she looked back at Darla. She grinned back to let her know all was well.

"Come along," Severus insisted, tugging her toward the kitchen.

With great reluctance Darla let herself be pulled away from the children and into the next room. Once there, Severus put up a privacy spell, ensuring Harry nor Gail would hear a word that passed between them. She was overall grateful for it even if it meant Severus wouldn't be watching how caustic his tongue became. When he finished the charm, her brother slammed his hands down on the room's table, causing it to shake and rattle, as he roared, "What in Merlin's name have you been doing, girl?"

Darla fought the urge to hunch in on herself and instead pushed out her shoulders and kept her gaze steadily on her brother's forehead. "I was thinking I wanted to become the friend to Harry Lottie would have been to him," she answered truthfully.

He stared at her in bafflement. It appeared to her that was far from any possibility he'd hypothesized since he discovered what Darla had been up to all summer. "What?" he sputtered.

"You said he and Lottie would have been the best of friends and I… I felt guilty, I suppose," she admitted, not looking at Severus as she did so. "I know you said it wasn't, but I really felt her death was my fault and thought I needed to make up to Harry the friend I took from him. I thought it might take him more time to warm up to someone who is older, especially a Slytherin someone, so," she half-heartedly gestured at the room around her, "here I am."

Severus was quiet a moment. "You would have met him after I delivered his letter to him and his family," he said to her. "You could have made friends with Harry once he was a student of Hogwarts as you are."

Darla snorted derisively. "Oh, yes, that would have gone over well with Gryffindor." She began to pace the length of the kitchen. "A Slytherin upper-year trying to befriend ickle Gryffindor firstie, Harry, the Boy-Who-Lived. They'd have all closed in around him and made it a rule to hex me on sight!" Darla proclaimed, pointing at her brother as she did so. Remembering that she promised the Cross children popcorn as she passed the cupboard where it was kept, she paused in her cantering to reach into it and pull it out. She put it next to the stove and reached overhead for a pan. Oiling it up, Darla looked over her shoulder at her brother. He was watching her, gaze still bright with anger, but it was embers now and not the blaze it had been when he first arrived. She returned to preparing the popcorn. "The Hufflepuffs _still_ side-eye me when I'm with Stephen and we've been friends since before we were sorted! No one likes Slytherin and I would have thought you'd know that better than anyone!" she raged at him.

"I do understand," Severus replied. "The reason I was initially a target of Potter and his friends was that I didn't take them insulting Slytherin lying down nor did I let my house end my friendship with Lily." Taking a seat at the kitchen table, Severus steepled his hands together and said, "However, I have always thought you too obstinate to let this fact affect what you do and who you befriend."

The popcorn began to hop and crack in the pan; Darla let the noise act as a buffer as she considered how to reply. "I may be stubborn, but I'm not a dunderhead," she grumbled. "I would have given up eventually because I don't fancy visiting the infirmary for boils and evergrowing toenails every other day. Even sooner if Harry showed he was just as against being my friend as his fellow Gryffindors were."

Severus began to chuckle.

Darla turned around. "What?" she demanded.

"Did you ever consider he may not go to Gryffindor at all?"

She stared at him. "You said… His parents… I thought…" she babbled.

"Oh, I do believe the odds are he will be, but there is no guarantee Harry will be in Gryffindor— I believed this even before you ruined Albus's carefully crafted plans," he told her, smirking. "I felt once Harry met you the way he should have, he could have been swayed away from his birth parents' house. Darla, you are likable. You make Slytherin look _affable_. It could have been enough to have him ask the Hat to sort him to Slytherin."

After the shock wore off and she began to warm from the pleasure of her brother's praise and confidence in her, Darla grinned back. "I'm still in trouble, aren't I?" she asked after a moment.

"Yes. More than you have ever been before," he told her. "Albus had been adamant Harry was to remain untouched until he received his letter."

Darla took the popcorn off the stove when she smelled it was starting to burn. Dumping it into a bowl, she told Severus, "I didn't say anything about how famous he is. I just told him he's a wizard and bit about our world. He's… He's not had an easy time of it here." She hugged the bowl of popcorn to herself. "In the Muggle world, I mean. He's had one too many incidents of accidental magic around the children of Sudley and they've come to ostracize him."

Her brother's brows furrowed. "That is a pity."

"I think he half-believed the tales they made up about him being an alien," Darla admitted. "I just couldn't _not_ tell him when I realized that."

Severus nodded. "I suppose it would be unavoidable then," he agreed. "It doesn't change how much trouble you are in, girl."

Darla sighed. "I understand." She looked at him through her lashes as she asked, "What, exactly, is my punishment?"

He stood up and headed toward the doorway. "We'll discuss it when you return home. However, I will say you should expect you'll not have a free Saturday all this coming school year."

She crinkled her nose. "Not _one_?"

Severus glared at her.

Darla tightened her hold on the bowl. "Are we done?"

"For now," he agreed. "Tell Harry to come in once you go out with the popcorn."

Nodding, she hurried past her brother and out into the other room. The children looked over the back of the sofa when she came in. "It smells burned," Gail complained.

"Sorry," she replied. "My conversation with my brother got a little… heated for a moment." She jerked her head back at the kitchen. "He'd like to speak to you a moment, Harry," she told him. A nervous frown started at the corners of his mouth. Taking a seat on the sofa next to Gail, she smiled at him. "Don't fret too much. Perhaps he'll show you a spell if you ask nicely when you're done."

Harry looked thoughtful then. "He's not cross with me, is he?" the boy questioned. "He looked upset when he arrived."

"Oh, not with you, Harry," Darla replied. "It was me he was cross with."

That didn't appear to appease the boy, but all the same he got up left for the kitchen with his hands balled at his side.

"Is Harry really gonna be okay?" Gail asked as she reached for a handful of popcorn.

She nodded. "Severus can be a bit short with people sometimes, but he's not mean." She turned her gaze to the telly. "What are we watching?"

" _The_ _Land Before Time_ ," she answered around the popcorn she was crunching. "It's about little dinosaurs."

Darla didn't know too much about dinosaurs, other than she thought they might be ancestors to dragons, so she nodded and resolved to learn about them through the movie. As she slowly let herself become absorbed in the film, she hoped she was right that Severus wouldn't be too awful to Harry. This was all her fault, not his, after all.

-O-

Harry ducked his head when he walked into the kitchen. Mr. Snape was staring at him very intensely and he didn't really know if he liked it. "'Lo," he mumbled.

"What? Speak up," the man snapped.

He flinched back. "I said, 'Lo," he repeated at a near-shout.

Mr. Snape frowned. "Are your ears full of cotton? I told you to speak up, not shout."

Darcy had told Harry her brother wasn't cross with him, but he couldn't help but feel the man was. Face red with embarrassment and shame, he replied at what he hoped was the appropriate volume, "I'm sorry."

He huffed. "Take a seat," Darcy's brother ordered.

Harry slid into the chair across from him.

Mr. Snape just stared at him for a time. Harry didn't like it and began to fidget, desperately thinking of something he could say or do to get Darcy's brother to stop looking at him so oddly. He blurted the first question that came to mind:

"How come you left me with Mum and Dad instead of some wizard and witch like me?"

The man breathed in slowly and the released the breath. "Given the circumstances, it was imperative you be left with blood. Unfortunately, your father had none living who could take you and your mother's family, besides Lily, are all Muggles."

"Oh," he said. "Why did I need to be with blood relatives? Dad told me sometimes children are left with mates in the case of an accident and I know you were my first mum's friend. Did you not want me?"

Mr. Snape stared at him in disbelief. "That is not it at all. If it had been feasible in any way, I would have raised you with my wife myself. However, to keep you safe from the followers of your parents' murderer and others who would do you harm, leaving you with blood was necessary. Albus, the Headmaster of Hogwarts— I assume Darla mentioned the school?"

Harry nodded.

The man seemed pleased by this. "Brilliant. Now, we left you with blood because Albus knew an enchantment that would extend the ancient protective magic Lily evoked to save you from the Dark Lord during the initial attack. By being with and raised by blood of your mother, you are kept safe from any more attacks."

He cocked his head, confused. Mr. Snape was sharing new information with him and he was struggling to keep up. His parents' murderer was someone called the Dark Lord and had followers? What had James and Lily been involved in? "Um, Dark Lord? Followers?" he inquired uncertainly.

Darcy's brother nodded. "Our world was in something of a civil war ten years ago. There's always been tension between people who were raised in the magical world and those who were raised in the Muggle before their letter to Hogwarts arrived. It got out of hand to an extreme degree around the time you were born and the Dark Lord, your parents' murderer, was leading a faction that wanted to rid the magical world of Muggle-born witches and wizards. Your parents, as you can likely understand since your mother was one of those Muggle-borns, did not approve and fought against the Dark Lord.

"Then, shortly before you were born, there was a prophecy told that indicated you may be the Dark Lord's downfall. Your parents, for your and their protection, went into hiding then. Unfortunately, the man who was supposed to keep you safe decided he'd rather be a turncoat and revealed your family's location to the Dark Lord. It was then he attacked your family and killed your parents.

"It was after that I stepped in to find you suitable family to live with and located your current parents, Raymond and Lynne Cross." Mr. Snape reached into his coat and pulled out a curious letter with a big, maroon wax seal. "This is your Hogwarts letter," he explained. "I was going to deliver this after your birthday, but Darla has moved up my timeline with her antics."

Harry took it and stared at it with reverence. "Wow," he whispered. He wanted to open it right then, but decided the questions he had swirling in his head took precedent. "Um, is Darcy? Darla? What's her real name? In a lot of trouble?"

"It's Darla, I think she gave a fake one to try and hide her connection to me from your parents. And, yes, she is. The Headmaster was adamant you know nothing of the magical world until you received your letter."

He frowned. "Why?"

Mr. Snape looked pained. "You're famous for surviving the Dark Lord's murder attempt. He used a spell that is supposed to be fool-proof and yet…" he waved his hand at Harry. "Here you are."

"That's how I got my scar?" asked Harry, touching it. "From that spell?"

The man dipped his chin. "Yes."

"Huh."

He leaned in close to Harry and narrowed his eyes. "Do not let it go to your head. Just because your mother's magic saved you once does not mean it will always."

Harry nodded. "Should I not mention Darla told me about magic a bit before you did? So she doesn't get in trouble with the Headmaster too? I wouldn't want her to be expelled or anything like that. I really like her."

"You don't have to," Mr. Snape told him, but Harry could see he wanted him to. "Even if she were expelled – which wouldn't happen – she would still be a resident of Hogwarts as I'm its potions professor and live at Hogwarts with my family."

His interest was piqued, but first, he had to make sure Darla's brother knew Harry would keep this secret. "I won't say anything to him or anyone else," he told the man. "I'll just say I know her 'cause you brought her with to give me my letter or something." He made sure to meet Mr. Snape's gaze. It was a lot less kind than Darla's, but it was familiar enough that he didn't feel the need to shrink into his seat when he declared, "I don't want anyone to get in trouble."

"Thank you," the man replied.

Harry grinned. "It's all right. Are we done talking now? Darla said when we were you might show me a spell or two."

Mr. Snape appeared bemused, but said, "Yes, I suppose we are if you have no more questions. I reckon one spell won't hurt." From his sleeve, he slid out what Harry realized had to be a wand. He waved it over the vase on the table and, a blink of an eye later, on his family's kitchen table sat a teapot instead of the vase. "Wizard!" Harry awed.

The man chuckled. "You'll learn how to do that and much more once you start at Hogwarts."

He was going to ask what kind of spell Mr. Snape had just used was called when the man's eyes flickered to something behind him. Harry turned his head and saw Darla was standing just past the threshold with Gail clinging to her around her waist.

"Harry, your aunt just called," she told him.

* * *

 **How did you like the chapter? Good? Bad? Meh?**

 **Thank you so very much for reading :)**


	14. A Series of Successes

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

Darla glanced down at Gail and smiled when she met her gaze. Placing a hand on the back of her head, she returned her attention to Harry. His eyes were wrought with anxiety and fear and the grip he had on the rungs of the chair he was sitting on was surely going to crack them if she didn't tell him what she learned soon.

She breathed in and out. "Your aunt says the operation went well," she told him. "She's not awake yet, but your dad has been allowed to sit with her for a minute."

All the stress drained away from Harry's form an ear-to-ear grin spread across his face. "She's okay?" he said. "Is Dad coming home for us soon?"

Darla nodded. "Your aunt said as soon as she was finished with the call your dad would be leaving. If I were you, I would gather a book or your Gameboy to take with you. It sounds like it might be a bit before your mum is expected to wake up."

Harry scrambled out of his seat to head for the living room. "C'mon Gail. Where's your rucksack? We'll put things in it to take with us. D'you remember what you did with that big book of Mad Libs after you had Tory over last week?"

Gail's arms fell away from her as she joined her brother in leaving the room to look for portable entertainment. Once again, Darla and Severus were alone. For a time, they simply stared at one another. Finally, her brother asked, "Their mother… Essie mentioned she's very ill and appeared to insinuate that she's not meant to live much longer."

She nodded. "That's true. She had today's operation so she could have a little more time with her family."

Severus sighed and began to massage his temple. "Perfect," he grumbled. "How likely is it the Crosses will let him leave for Hogwarts when his mother has so little time left in this world?"

Darla crossed the kitchen to put a hand on her brother's arm. "There's never any harm in asking," she told him. "And if they are reluctant or outright refuse, that doesn't mean much. Coursework and a tutor can be set up for him so he can join Hogwarts later this year in the spring." She cocked her head. "Or he could just start next year alongside Eileen. He might like that, even, as he'd be starting Hogwarts with someone familiar at his side going through all of the same things he will be."

He briefly patted her hand. "You appear to have given quite a lot of thought to the paths he could take."

"I've had quite a lot of time to contemplate Harry's future," she replied with a smirk.

Severus smirked back a moment. "I imagine you have."

A shout resounded from the living room followed by none-too-quiet bickering. Darla rolled her eyes. "Do you think you can put the kettle on and make some sandwiches while I talk them down? I reckon their dad will appreciate not having to feed them before or on his way back to hospital."

Darla's brother nodded as she got to her feet. "Any allergies?" he asked as he headed for the kettle sitting on the stovetop.

"No, but Gail loathes mustard, chicken, and tomatoes. So don't bother making anything much more complicated than a cheese sandwich."

-o-O-o-

When Mr. Cross arrived, he was all smiles for his children as he hugged them and kissed them hello. Darla hasn't seen much of the man over the course of the summer, but the few times that she had before today he'd been rather long of face, even when he was trying to be pleasant and happy for his family. Now, she could see why his children were always so eager to greet him – they were hoping for this. Tight embraces, loud affection, and grins that told everyone just how perfect the world was.

While his joy did not vanish when he saw Severus, it did lessen to a degree as confusion and surprise overcame his face. "Ah, hello," he said. "I thought we weren't to expect you until after Harry's birthday?"

Darla's brother stepped forward and dipped his chin. "Yes, that was what I had planned," he agreed. "However, I had… _business_ in the area and thought there would be no harm in dropping by early. It should have given us some time to pick a date to visit Diagon Alley for Harry's school supplies," he explained in half-truths and lies. "Unfortunately, it seems now was a very poor time for me to visit. Your nanny explained your wife is unwell and in hospital, I'm very sorry to hear that."

Mr. Cross's Adam's apple bobbed as he averted his gaze. "It's quite alright," he replied. "Thank you for your condolences. I suppose your visit now is as good a time as any. There's no guarantee you coming by later on the agreed upon date would have been any better with how ill Lynne has been." Raising his gaze to meet Severus's, he stepped forward to shake hands with him. "I wish we could discuss a date for us all to go to this Alley, but now is not a good time. I must be getting back to my wife and the children have to come with me."

Her brother took the older man's hand and gave it a firm shake. "I understand." Darla watched him reach into his pocket and pull out Harry's letter. "This is Harry's. We didn't get to opening it during our discussion, but I suppose that's a stroke of fortune for you all. In the magical world, opening your letter is a bit of a family affair and often leads to a small celebration."

Harry's father took it and pocketed it. "Thank you," he said. "I appreciate this. When my wife wakes, she will surely enjoy getting to watch Harry open and read it to us."

Severus smirked. "Without a doubt. My wife rather enjoyed seeing my sister receive and open her letter." He chuckled. "She even has is saved in an album for her somewhere."

Darla turned her head at that. She didn't know Edie had saved it, let alone put it in an album for her somewhere. She wondered if her sister would show her this book when they went home. Perhaps not, since she knew her punishment was going to start the moment she stepped into their family's quarters. There would be absolutely no fun for Darla in the coming month. That album was sure to be a delight if Edie had made it.

Mr. Cross laughed in return. "Lynne's not much of a crafter, but she does have a keepsake box for both of the kids; I have no doubts she'll insist the letter go in Harry's the moment she comes home from hospital."

Her brother nodded. Then, an almost regretful expression crossed his countenance. "I do hate to put pressure on you during this difficult time, but if you wish for Harry to start at Hogwarts at the same time as the rest of his peers, a time will need to be set up to take him to Diagon Alley. I can give you instruction on how to go yourselves, but if it would be easier, I will gladly take him with my family for my sister's shopping."

Harry's father nodded as he drew his daughter close to hold against him. "I understand. Would it be possible for you to come by in a week's time? Say on the twenty-eighth? In the afternoon? My wife should be home then and so will I. Then we can all discuss what's best for Harry."

"Yes, that will work," Severus replied. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Cross."

He smiled. "Thank you for being so understanding, Mr. Snape."

A few more pleasantries were exchanged before her brother left. Darla knew the moment she was alone Severus would reappear to escort her home himself. Darla was resigned to this, though, she would like it if he let her come home at her own pace. She'd rather like to soak in her last moments of freedom alone.

After he was gone, Mr. Cross turned to her. "I'm sorry about that, Darcy. I hope none of what just happened has turned you off from watching the children for the rest of the summer."

She shook her head and smiled. "Really, it's quite alright," she replied. "I suspected, but didn't really know until Professor Snape appeared that Harry was a wizard." Darla put a hand on her chest. "It feels very serendipitous now, but I'm a witch and have attended Hogwarts myself."

He began to laugh anew. "What dumb luck!" he exclaimed. "We have been wondering why it was we've managed to hang onto you for so long and now we know why! You're a witch, of course you couldn't be scared off by a bit of childish magic!"

She giggled herself before she swung up Gail's rucksack for the man to take. "Here," she said. "I'm sure Mrs. Hershel and Mrs. Cross are wondering what's keeping you."

"Thank you, Darcy, you are a dear," he said as he took it from her. He hustled them all outside and locked the door behind them. "To the car, Harry, Gail," he ordered while giving his son the rucksack. "It's Gail's turn to sit up front, Harry, no bickering now."

The children went, leaving the two of them alone a moment. "Thank you," he said again. "I don't know how we're ever going to repay you for what a spectacular nanny you have been."

Darla waved him off. "I'm just doing my job," she told him. "Will you need me on Tuesday?"

"Yes, if that's alright."

She nodded. "It is. Give Mrs. Cross my well wishes, will you?"

"Yes, of course."

After, Darla watched from the Cross family's walk as the man and his children drove off. She waved when she saw Harry and Gail looking at her through the rearview window.

They made faces back at her and she laughed. A moment later, her brother reappeared at her side. Darla sighed. "I know I'm in big trouble and you're going to punish me for lying and everything else, but the Crosses need me right now." She lifted her head and stared at him with the most hopeful, pleading gaze she could manage. No one ever believed her when she said her brother was a pushover, but he was. If only when it came to her and her family. "Can I continue to nanny for them until the summer's over?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We will see."

Darla grinned and threw her arms around him. That was as good as a yes.

* * *

 **We're getting toward the end here! How did you like this chapter? Harry's mom is going to have a little longer with her family! We finally got to see a bit of Mr. Cross :)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	15. A New Start

_Summer Skeletons_

* * *

Initially, Darla had been disappointed Harry's parents decided to do their Diagon Alley shopping alone as a family. However, she realized it was for the best in the end. Their family was going to draw far less attention than they would have should the Crosses have taken Severus up on his offer of chaperoning Harry's trip. Everyone would have figured out very quickly Harry was Harry Potter (Cross) then. By going with just his own family, they looked like a rather regular Muggle family taking their wizard-son for his first shopping trip.

That didn't mean Darla wasn't watching, of course. Face hidden behind the hood of her robe, she silently tailed them on their trip. She wasn't supposed to be away from the castle today and if Severus (or, rather, Edie, who was finally up and puttering around their quarters— Even if she still seldom left them) discovered her absence he might actually slap her in an attempt to knock some sense into her after he found her.

She was confident, however, they wouldn't. Darla only wanted to watch them a little to make sure they were going to be alright doing the shopping without a local to assist them. As she stared at the family, she saw Harry point at Eeylop's Owl Emporium and put on a pleading expression. Mr. Cross looked reluctant to go in, but then his wife placed a hand on his arm and he relented. Excitedly, Gail and Harry ran in ahead. Meanderingly, she walked over to the store and peered into its window.

Harry was mooning over a pretty white owl while his sister cooed at some others a little ways away from him. His parents leaned on one another, simply basking in each other's company and the sight of their joyful children. Harry turned to look at his parents and she could tell he was asking for the owl from the eager set to his grin. However, his face drooped a moment later as she saw the back of Mr. Cross's head shake in a negative motion. Darla stepped away from the window when she saw the family turn around to leave a minute later.

When they walked through the door, an idea came to Darla. She would buy the owl for Harry as a belated birthday present. He would be delighted when he received it on the train to Hogwarts. A skip to her step, she went into the shop and straight to the clerk, and cousin of the emporium's owner, behind the counter. "Hello, I would like to purchase that white owl there. How much is it?"

-o-O-o-

Darla had taken herself to the train station on her own for the past two years. Severus had last-minute preparations to make for the incoming students and while Edie could take her, Darla had told her sister not to bother. She would see her in a day or two— Unlike the majority of Hogwarts's students who wouldn't see their families again until Christmas. She didn't even have to take her school trunk with her when she went, she just called the House Elves to come and take it to her dorm room.

The tricky part of leaving was not getting caught by her brother or any of his fellow professors on her way to the Owlery to retrieve Harry's owl. They would all want to know why she was going there when she ought to be heading for the Headmaster's office to use his fireplace to travel to King's Cross. Like when she went to ghost the Cross family during their Diagon Alley trip, the stars aligned and Darla had no trouble getting to the Owlery to retrieve Harry's owl.

It was a bit trickier going to the Headmaster's office and she had to hide once or twice from a professor, but she made it to the office unaccosted and drew her wand to put a shrinking charm on the owl and its cage before going inside. Loosely, she held it in her hand as she entered. Darla breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Headmaster Dumbledore was nowhere in sight. Perhaps if Darla hadn't been so concerned with getting away with her disobedience she would have wondered why the old man wasn't in his office; typically, he was there to see her off and welcome her back the few time she decided to ride the train away from Hogwarts.

But since she was, she thought nothing of it as she re-sized the owl and apologized to her for the disorientation it surely caused her. Once done with her cooing, Darla grabbed a fistful of floo powder and called out her destination.

-O-

With a single-minded determination, Darla searched the compartments of the Hogwarts Express looking for Harry. A few of her fellow students gave her nasty looks when she opened the doors to their compartments, interrupting whatever it was they were doing, and she had to apologize more than once for bumping into someone in the corridors, but Darla didn't let it bother her. She had one goal in mind and she was going to accomplish it if she had her way.

Finally, after what felt like eternity, she opened the door to a compartment and found Harry inside with a freckled, redheaded lad, who she easily identified as the youngest Weasley boy. She was in the same year as one of his older brother's, Percy, and while she found him to be a bit of a bore, she knew the Weasleys were a varied lot. The twins were jokesters that set her brother's teeth on edge and the oldest two, Bill and Charlie, had been both dashing and affable fellows to know.

"'Lo there, Harry," she chirped, stepping inside.

He grinned back at her. "Hi, Darla. Are you going to sit with us?"

She waved off the question. "Sorry, I already promised my friend Stephen I would sit with him," she told him in a truly contrite tone. "Before I did, I wanted to give you this!" Darla held out the caged owl for him.

Harry's eyes blew wide. "Wicked!" he exclaimed. "Is it really for me?"

Darla laughed. "Yes, it's a bit of a belated birthday present." Putting the owl in his lap, she asked, "D'you like her?"

"She's perfect," Harry replied, eyes not leaving the owl. "I saw one just like her when I was back-to-school shopping with my family, but Dad said we didn't have the money for it and maybe next year…"

"How interesting," Darla said while she winked at the youngest Weasley boy. Who, in response, furrowed his brows with perplexment and stayed silent. "I saw her while I was shopping and just knew she was perfect for you." Reaching a finger between one of the spaces in the wires, she gave the owl's back a stroke, causing her to twist her head around to stare at Darla. She chuckled. "What will you name her?"

"Owl," Harry replied. "After the owl in the Winnie the Pooh books?" he added at their blank stares.

The name did ring a dusty old bell in the back of Darla's mind, but the sound was still too muted for her to remember much beyond a faint recollection of a story she was once read that involved an almost obsessive focus on honey. "That's lovely," she told him all the same.

Harry hummed. "Gail loved Winnie the Pooh when she was small. Their names were the first English words she learned when Mum and Dad brought her home from China."

"I'm sure she'll be overjoyed when she hears what you named this owl, then," she remarked.

He smiled. "Without a doubt," he agreed.

"Alright, I must be going. I wouldn't want Stephen's ex-girlfriend to find him before I do." Darla looked side to side as if she was searching for a sneak. Leaning in, she whispered, "Here's a tip for you lads, never _ever_ break things off with a someone over a letter. It leaves them thirsting for blood."

They nodded dumbly and she laughed. "See you soon, Harry. Just know if the Hat won't place you in Gryffindor, Slytherin would gladly have you!" she proclaimed as she turned heel and left.

As the door closed behind her, she heard the Weasley boy ask, "Who was that?"

"Darla. The potions professor's sister?"

" _That's_ her? My brother told me she's an odd Slytherin, but I didn't believe him since it was Percy saying it, but–"

She shook her head and giggled. Oh, that poor little Weasley boy. _He had no idea_. Darla was more than odd, she was eccentric compared to her fellow reserved, mannerly Slytherins (and downright saintly next to the outright standoffish and menacing Slytherins). He was going to soon find that the stories he had been taking with a grain of salt from his elder brothers were more factual than fantastical; Darla hoped she was there when it dawned on him. His face was surely going to be a Patronus-worthy sight.

* * *

 **I hope this last chapter doesn't feel too lackluster. I know I hit a fair amount of stations from canon, but I hope it's easy to see still that Harry's first year is going to be fairly different from what happened in the books/movies. How did you like Darla being the one to gift him Hedwig (now Owl)? Final thoughts on _Summer Skeletons_?**

 **Heads up to everyone the next story in the "Family Branches" series will be posted friday. It's a one-shot called _We're On Our Way_ and is once again Darla and Harry-centric with a good helping of the rest of the Golden Trio and some other yearmates of Harry too!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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